The 2-2 draw against Burnley at first glance can show that the old problems of Man United still continue after Ruben Amorim was sacked. One of the bad habits of the "Red Devils" continues to be maintained, which is losing points against the bottom teams. The draw against Burnley (ranked 19th) means that Man United cannot beat the bottom 7 teams since the beginning of November 2025. Thus, they have missed the opportunity to take advantage of a favorable schedule.
There is one thing in common in all 7 matches, Man United drew all matches, did not suffer any defeats. This paints a panoramic picture, they are not too bad to lose to bottom teams but are not good enough to definitely win 3 points in the confrontations with this group.
Worse, the 2 recent losses all came in the context that Man United was the team that opened the score first, like what happened against Fulham, Nottingham and Tottenham. And at Old Trafford, it was draws against Wolves, Bournemouth and West Ham.
If Man United maintains the advantage when leading Burnley 2-1, they may have finished round 21 in 4th place. If The Red Devils win all 3 matches mentioned above, they will still be in 4th place but the position will be firmly consolidated. If Man United wins all 3 points in all matches leading from the beginning of the season, by now they may be the championship team.
After round 21, Man United is in 7th place. This is the position they once had after stopping the 3-game winning streak in November 2025. There have been many missed opportunities since that time and the draw with Burnley is also the same.
Although the result is still sluggish, but looking from the draw against Burnley, it is not that Man United does not have points to try to make things better. This is the first time after 14 months in charge of Ruben Amorim, players have returned to their preferred position, which is a very positive sign.
Acting captain Darren Fletcher arranged a 4-defender formation (4-2-3-1) and this was enthusiastically responded to by fans. Although only winning 1 point at Turf Moor, Man United showed signs of improvement in attack with 30 shots throughout the match, 2 of which were blocked on the goal line, 2 times the ball hit the goal. They were even more unlucky when they conceded an own goal and conceded the only shot on target from Burnley.
If Fletcher's starting lineup is welcomed by fans, his substitutions are very proactive, especially in the final minutes of the match when Man United are looking for a decisive goal. Captain Bruno Fernandes only played for about 1 hour before being withdrawn because he had just returned from injury. The away team gradually lost pressure from that moment, it shows how important Bruno is in the current operating style.
With Benjamin Sesko, he has scored his first goal since October 2025, even scoring a double. Looking at the way the Slovenian star scored, Man United fans are temporarily reassured when the team's investment of 85 million Euros may not be wasteful.
Looking at these positive things, it is impossible not to praise Darren Fletcher when he almost had no time to catch up, immediately having to take on the task of temporarily replacing Ruben Amorim. Even in the Man United squad before the match against Burnley, there were some people Fletcher had not had the opportunity to talk like Sesko or Cunha. When Fletcher left the first team to lead the U18 team, then Cunha and Sesko arrived.
When talking to Sesko, Fletcher shared that he showed the Slovenian striker how to move and advised him to continue running for a spot and then the opportunity would come. With 18-year-old talent Shea Lacey, unfortunately he could not make a mark after playing quite actively since being brought on the field. Like Sesko, Fletcher simply encouraged Lacey and wanted this young talent to continue to believe in what he can do.
Direct and fearless despite not having time to prepare, those are the ways Fletcher is temporarily replacing Amorim. The match against Burnley did not bring victory for Man United, but at least it is helping fans feel about a change, something not seen in 14 months Ruben Amorim has held the team. It is signaling a new beginning, possibly with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
