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The former manager's time at Manchester United was widely regarded as a significant letdown. Statistically speaking, his record is remarkable for all the wrong causes. In the contemporary football age, no United manager has achieved a worse points return, nor achieved a league finish as poor as the 15th spot. Looking deeper into history, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a United boss who was defeated in a greater proportion of matches. Additionally, he infamously secured a place in the team's history by suffering a final loss to Spurs, specifically Ange Postecoglou's side of Spurs.

Life, however, is rarely that simple. Despite the criticism of his tactical approach, he leaves behind a club in a significantly improved state than that which he took over. In a prior match this term, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, Danny Welbeck relayed that teammates were lauding their opponents as the most impressive team they had played against in a while. Their performance in a thrilling four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both encouraging and thrilling.

Although it is tough to contest the dismissal—especially given it was allegedly sparked by his remarks regarding superiors with more miserable histories—Amorim's demise was ultimately hampered by atrocious fortune. If injuries to vital personnel not happened at the same time as the absence of other important figures, he could still be in the position—perhaps succeeding.

Fletcher Takes the Reins

As a result, Fletcher steps into a fairly solid situation. Star figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are available again, while Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future rejoin from the African tournament. Simply prudent stewardship of this gifted squad is expected to be adequate to secure a top-five finish and, with it, continental football for the coming campaign—most likely in the elite Champions League.

The Clarets' Tough Task

Burnley, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Even with having only 12 points and losing three of their last five matches, their displays have at times been more impressive than the outcomes show. Boss Parker will surely have his squad fired up to get after the visitors who are set to start an XI that has never played together, deployed in a setup they have gone without for over a year.

Kick-off: 8.15pm GMT.