Manchester United are in a better situation than they look ahead of Ruben Amorim arrival

The worst-case scenario come the start of the November internationals is Manchester United will be nine points adrift of the top four. Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018 with the club 11 points off fourth.

United bridged that gap within three months before their form deserted them in the run-in. Ruben Amorim will have 27 fixtures to ensure United's Premier League season ends on a respectable note.

However bad United have been, they are not in as bad a position as they should be. Fourth-placed Chelsea are six points better off than United in 13th. Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle, the probable competitors for fourth, have lost 11 games between them.

READ MORE: A back three can work for Amorim - it has for three other United managers

READ MORE: Leny Yoro is returning for United at the right time

Supporters of upstarts Nottingham Forest are entitled to get giddy 30 seasons on from their third-place finish behind United and Blackburn. There are still roughly two-third of the season remaining and the true test of their staying power is yet to come. Brighton should not be discounted from the conversation to qualify for Europe.

Yet United ought to be bullish about embarking on a successful six-month start under their inaugural head coach. Amorim has to deprogramme a Dutch-centric squad that is disjointed and devoid of a reliable goalscorer. He will also introduce them to a new formation that may require some key personnel to reinvent themselves whilst securing results that ensure United climb up the ladder.

And if United merely go up and down the league as though they are playing Snakes and Ladders, there is a League Cup quarter-final, the Europa League and the FA Cup. United are already three games