January 8, 2026
Manchester United’s first match after the shock sacking of Ruben Amorim ended in a deeply United result: a draw that somehow feels like a loss.
Just two days after pulling the plug on Amorim, United drew 2–2 with Burnley in Premier League Round 21 on the 7th.
With U-18 boss Darren Fletcher taking charge on an interim basis, United briefly looked alive. A returning captain Bruno Fernandes pulled the strings, and new No.9 hope Benjamin Šeško exploded with two goals to turn the game around.
Still, even against a relegation-zone side, United couldn’t see it out. Same old story.
Match highlights: “United’s first Šeško brace”… and still not enough
United ditched Amorim’s 3-4-3 and went back to a familiar back four. The match quickly turned into a chaotic end-to-end scrap.
Šeško wakes up
Summer signing Benjamin Šeško announced himself properly, scoring in the 50th and 60th minutes. Two direct finishes, all 194cm of him, proper striker stuff. For once, a forward who looks like one.
Bruno is back
Bruno Fernandes started after injury and assisted the equaliser, dictating play as usual. But he was subbed off right after United went ahead on 60 minutes… and yes, United promptly conceded after that.
Fletcher speaks
“We had 30 shots and deserved to win,” Fletcher said post-match. “The result is frustrating, but with almost no prep time, the players gave everything.” Fair enough. Still 2–2 though.
Manager situation: FA Cup at the “theatre”, Ole comeback ticking closer
Fletcher confirmed he’ll also take charge for the FA Cup tie against Brighton on Sunday the 11th. Meanwhile, the successor talks are apparently at “the final stage”.
Solskjær the favourite
English media say negotiations are accelerating for Ole Gunnar Solskjær to return as interim boss until season’s end. Some reports even claim a deal by Friday the 16th.
There’s also chatter about bringing in his old partner Michael Carrick (currently Middlesbrough manager) as part of the staff.
Players on board
Reports say senior players like Bruno and Harry Maguire would welcome Ole’s return. Nostalgia FC, but maybe that’s where we are.
Premier League table (as of Jan 8)
United stay 6th and once again fail to close the gap to the top four. That “temporary 4th place” dream lasted… what, ten minutes?
Man U Fan Reactions
811: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:11
A draw, huh…
812: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:12
So the “temporary 4th place” dream is over… lasted about 10 minutes lol
813: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:12
A draw. Šeško scored, Lacey worked hard. That’s about it.
816: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:12
Conceding every game like it’s mandatory.
817: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:12
Same fragility when under pressure at the back. Midfield is just too weak.
818: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Get a proper defensive mid and this team might actually improve. Šeško bought himself some time today.
819: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Hope Šeško gains confidence from this. As long as we keep doing the “mandatory concession”, we’ll never close games out.
821: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Please auto-sub Casemiro once we go ahead.
822: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Everyone else is drawing weird games too. Guess we got dragged into it.
823: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Wolves, Burnley, West Ham, Leeds — charity goals for everyone. Equality.
824: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:13
Let’s just back Fletcher. His subs actually made sense.
825: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:14
Heaven’s doing his best but he’s really a left CB. De Ligt and Maguire are never coming back, are they?
829: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:14
Lacey’s name and look scream “star”, but man, he carries the ball like Foden.
831: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:15
Even when the first half was bad, changing things at HT like a normal manager felt refreshing.
832: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:16
Probably would’ve won if we kept the starters on, but they’re just back from injury.
833: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:16
Drawing every team from 15th to 20th is kinda impressive in its own way.
835: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:16
Wait, Burnley are 19th??
836: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:16
This season might just be about watching Šeško develop.
838: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:18
30 shots apparently. Interim manager should probably be someone who can actually coach defence. No idea who though.
841: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:19
Even with a draw, the attacking vibe feels totally different. Not watching “Amoball” is so refreshing.
844: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:21
Still conceding way more than opponent xG suggests, right? How many screamers do teams score on us?
845: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:22
Back four returns, old problems return too. Midfield defence is a revolving door. Mount just floats around.
846: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:24
Defence won’t magically fix itself with a manager change. Attack was way better though. Bruno in his proper role helps — something Amorim couldn’t do. If Lacey can handle it, try Cunha left, Lacey right.
849: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:25
I still don’t know how to use Mainoo. If he sells high, I’m fine with it.
850: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:26
Mount and Mainoo are both just back from injury. Even Cunha looked awful after his return. Don’t use Bruno as the benchmark.
855: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:32
Some improvements, so there’s a bit of positivity. Midfield issues are unsolvable though.
856: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:32
It was a back four on paper, but you can still see Amorim’s three-back influence. Dalot staying wide let Cunha play inside more. On the left, Shaw and Dorgu kept overlapping into the same space.
857: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:35
>>856
Amorim poisoning still in the system. Gonna take time to detox. Ole, please.
860: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:41
Under Amorim things were over-structured so the pivot didn’t stand out as much. In a back four, Casemiro + Ugarte is just tragic in build-up. That’s why Bruno had to drop deeper.
862: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:41
Funny how Dorgu was signed as a wing-back but might survive as a winger.
891: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:44
>>862
Problem is we already have two guys for that role.
895: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:59
>>891
Right side maybe crowded, left side is basically just Cunha. He’ll get minutes this season at least. Or Bruno / Mount shift left.
906: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 09:46
>>891
Second line actually looks stocked:
Cunha – Bruno – Mbeumo
(Dorgu – Mount – Amad)
863: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:42
Don’t worry, the pivot was awful under Amorim too.
868: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 07:50
Most importantly, things look simpler for the players. Lacey, Bruno, probably Dorgu too. Hard enough adapting to the Premier League without complicated WB or shadow roles.
874: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:09
>>868
Apparently that matters a lot. Complex systems eat up brain power, and there’s no time to drill it for years.
873: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:06
With injuries and suspensions cleared, against this Burnley side… I kinda think we’d have won under Amorim.
878: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:13
We lost to 10-man Everton with a full squad under Amorim. Why would we win this?
879: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:15
If Amorim stayed, Bruno would be deeper again, attack still Cunha-dependent, and we’d still concede. Probably 1–1 or a loss. Today might actually be better.
882: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:17
Dropped loads of points vs bottom teams, now it’s top sides and messy mid-table fixtures coming up. Great.
889: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 08:36
A painful draw vs 19th-place Burnley with just three wins all season. Wolves too. This is rough.
907: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 09:46
Fletcher: I showed Šeško video of his movement and explained how chances come. He was fantastic tonight.
908: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 09:50
Both Šeško goals were textbook striker finishes.
909: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/08 10:01
Spoke with the board after the match, I’m in charge vs Brighton too. One game at a time. Every match feels like a guillotine — Fletcher.
