The Prem table since Amorim was sacked shows incredible Man Utd improvement | OneFootball

We all expected Manchester United to improve once they sacked Ruben Amorim. But no one foresaw them becoming the Premier League’s best team quite so quickly…

Amorim was determined to imprint his three-at-the-back system on United, despite his squad lacking the necessary characteristics to make it a success.

The Portuguese manager toyed very briefly with changing his formation – despite once saying not even the Pope could convince him to – but he quickly reverted to type, all the while United trod on rakes.

Eventually, Amorim was axed on January 5 with United sixth but, so tight was the table then, they were only one bad matchday from the bottom half.

Darren Fletcher stepped in briefly, his only Premier League game in charge being a 2-2 draw at Burnley, but the ex-United midfielder set in motion a return to a more familiar system that Michael Carrick ran with.

Now look at them.

The post-Amorim era is eight games old and no side in the Premier League has been better than United in that time.

The Red Devils have claimed 20 points from 24 available, with Carrick still unbeaten since taking the interim role seven games ago.

Carrick has masterminded victories against half of the Big Six – we are still counting Tottenham among that group for now – while dropping points only at West Ham. But even then, a last-gasp leveller from the reborn Benjamin Sesko made a draw feel more like a win.

Under Amorim this season, United had taken 1.55 points per game which, at rate at which, if continued throughout the rest of the campaign, would have taken the Red Devils to 60 points.

Since he was sacked, with Carrick employing a system that actually suits the players available to him, United have earned 2.5 points per game. That stretched out over a 38-game season would be good for 95 points.

Only four teams in Premier League history have earned more points: Man City in 2017-18 and 2018-19; and Liverpool in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Of course, stretching their eight-game form (with no distractions) out over a 38-game season is no easy step and, frankly, United would be ill-equipped to do so. But this table reflects well on Carrick. And dreadfully on Amorim.