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The former manager's tenure at the Red Devils has been labeled a major failure. Looking at the numbers, his results is notable for all the poor causes. Throughout the contemporary football age, no United manager has recorded fewer points per game, or secured a standing as poor as the 15th spot. Looking deeper into history, you have to go back to Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a United boss who lost a larger share of games. Furthermore, he infamously etched his name in United's annals by enduring a loss in a final to Tottenham Hotspur, specifically Ange Postecoglou's version of Tottenham.

Football, but, is rarely so black and white. In spite of the criticism of his 3-4-2-1 formation, the Portuguese manager leaves behind a team in a much stronger state than the one he inherited. In a prior match this term, following a victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, the striker Welbeck relayed that his colleagues were lauding their opponents as the most impressive opposition they had played against in some time. The performance in a breathtaking high-scoring tie with Bournemouth was equally promising and exciting.

Although it is difficult to contest the termination—particularly given it was reportedly sparked by his comments about executives with even worse track records—his downfall was finally stymied by awful luck. Had the absence of key personnel not happened at the same time as the absence of other important members, he could remain in the role—maybe succeeding.

A New Era Begins

Therefore, Darren Fletcher steps into a reasonably stable situation. Important players like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are available again, while Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will in the near future be back from the Afcon. Merely careful husbandry of this talented squad is expected to be sufficient to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, European competition for next season—probably in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Daunting Challenge

The home side, but, will not make things easy. Despite having only a dozen points and having lost 3 of their previous five outings, their displays have frequently been stronger than the results indicate. Manager Scott Parker will certainly have his squad pumped up to get after United who are expected to start an starting eleven that has lacked cohesion, deployed in a system they have not used for a year or more.

Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.