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Ten days from now, Burnley’s social media accounts will undoubtedly show the highlights of his last encounter with Manchester United in the Premier League.
The meeting on a cold night at Old Trafford in late January was possibly the lowest point of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, as Burnley secured a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
Jay Rodriguez’s goal, the second sweet goal against Stretford End, was worthy of winning any game; the problem for United is that they had offered nothing to suggest that they should have taken the three points themselves.
Solskjaer’s team had been booed at halftime after Chris Wood’s opener, while much of the ground was empty before the final whistle an hour later.
The result left United fifth in the Premier League, six points behind Chelsea in fourth place, 14 behind Leicester in third place and 30 points behind leader Liverpool.
United knew they had to do something if they were to cope with their inability to bring down their more pragmatic domestic opponents and salvage their faded hopes of the soccer Champions League: eight days later they signed Bruno Fernandes.
Despite being upset by incessant Portuguese media reports of a move, United finally bit the bullet as they accelerated plans to bring creative midfielder Fernandes to Old Trafford ahead of the January transfer deadline.
Club sources told MEN that the new signing had brought an immediate boost to Carrington from his first training session. It seemed a bit far-fetched at the time, but now it seems like they were telling the truth all the time.
After an incredible debut year at United, it is now fair to draw comparisons between Fernandes and Eric Cantona, although only one of them has the trophies to match at the moment. However, the transformation goes beyond the simple addition of a new creative midfielder.
The former Sporting star has opened up new possibilities for Solskjaer at the club, but he came in as the missing link rather than the sole catalyst for change.
It is true that his winning mentality and confidence have helped transform the culture of the first team dressing room, however the manager also deserves credit for the broader vision of the club that he is slowly implementing.
Solskjaer always intended to play with the fast and fluid style of play that we have seen the most this season, but that approach was not always possible with the personnel at his disposal.
Manchester United returned to winning ways with a modest 1-0 victory over Watford in the FA Cup.
Scott McTominay’s early header was enough for the victory at Old Trafford, as United reserved their spot in the hat for the fourth round.
United will now refocus on their league campaign with crucial games to come this week against Burnley and Liverpool.
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Since that meeting with Sean Dyche’s team a year ago, only Fernandes, who is an obvious first-choice choice in the starting lineup, has been signed each week. Odion Ighalo and Edinson Cavani are better hitting options on the bench, Donny van de Beek’s influence will grow, Alex Telles has provided Luke Shaw with competition instead of replacing him and the right-wing duo Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo are the ones of the future.
If they avoid defeat at Turf Moor on Tuesday night, United will head to Anfield later in the week as Premier League leaders.
That realistic possibility justifies the club’s decision to back Solskjaer when things got tough a year ago, but even if they suffered a midweek setback, the last twelve months of progress are clear evidence why a immediate managerial change.
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