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The former manager's tenure at Manchester United is considered by many to have been a notable disappointment. By any measure, his performance is notable for all the wrong causes. In the contemporary football age, no boss at the club has achieved fewer points per game, nor managed a final position as low as 15th place. Delving further back, you have to return to the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a manager at the club who lost a greater proportion of matches. Furthermore, he infamously etched his name in United's annals by experiencing a final loss to Tottenham, specifically Ange Postecoglou's iteration of the North London club.

Football, however, is rarely so black and white. In spite of the scrutiny of his favored system, the Portuguese manager departs from a team in a far better position than the one he took over. Earlier this season, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, Welbeck shared that fellow players were lauding United as the most impressive opposition they had faced in a long time. The performance in a thrilling high-scoring tie with AFC Bournemouth was equally promising and exciting.

While it is difficult to contest the dismissal—especially given it was reportedly triggered by his criticism of bosses with even worse histories—his exit was ultimately stymied by atrocious luck. Had injuries to vital stars not coincided with the loss of other important figures, he could still be in the role—perhaps even.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Darren Fletcher takes over a fairly solid scenario. Key figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Mbeumo will shortly rejoin from the African tournament. Merely careful husbandry of this talented group ought to be sufficient to secure a top-five finish and, with it, European football for the following term—probably in the elite European Cup.

Burnley's Daunting Task

The home side, but, will not roll over. Even with boasting only a dozen points and having lost 3 of their last five games, their displays have often been more impressive than the scorelines show. Boss Parker will certainly have his team fired up to take the game to the visitors who are expected to play an lineup that has lacked cohesion, set up in a formation they have gone without for a year or more.

Match begins: 8.15pm GMT.