🔗 Share this article Burnley Take On Manchester United in Crucial Top-Flight Match Ruben Amorim's time at Manchester United has been labeled a notable failure. By any measure, his results is notable for all the negative reasons. Throughout the Premier League era, not a single Man Utd boss has achieved fewer points per game, or managed a final position as low as the 15th spot. Delving further back, you have to go back to Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a manager at the club who lost a greater proportion of games. Additionally, he infamously carved a niche in club lore by enduring a loss in a final to Tottenham Hotspur, namely the current iteration of Tottenham. Football, though, is rarely so straightforward. Regardless of the scrutiny of his 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim exits a squad in a far better state than that which he took over. Earlier this season, following a defeat of Brighton, the striker Welbeck reported that his colleagues were praising their opponents as the most impressive team they had faced in a while. Their performance in a thrilling high-scoring tie with Bournemouth was both encouraging and exciting. Although it is difficult to argue against the dismissal—especially given it was allegedly sparked by his criticism of executives with even worse track records—his downfall was in the end hampered by atrocious luck. If the absence of crucial personnel not occurred alongside the unavailability of other pivotal individuals, he could still be in the job—perhaps succeeding. Fresh Start for United Therefore, Darren Fletcher takes over a fairly solid scenario. Key players like Mount, Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are available again, while Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly return from the Africa Cup of Nations. Just careful management of this gifted roster ought to be sufficient to ensure a top-five finish and, with it, European football for the following term—probably in the elite UEFA Champions League. The Clarets' Formidable Task Vincent Kompany's team, however, are unlikely to be a pushover. Even with having only twelve points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five outings, their showings have at times been stronger than the scorelines indicate. Boss Scott Parker will certainly have his team fired up to attack the visitors who are expected to field an XI that has never played together, arranged in a system they have gone without for over a year. Match begins: 8:15 in the evening GMT.