Manchester United will find out next season how good Ruben Amorim really is

When Amad squeezed home a 90th-minute winner at the Etihad Stadium exactly four months ago today it felt as though it would be a turning point in Manchester United's season.

Having equalised just two minutes earlier via a Bruno Fernandes penalty, Lisandro Martinez spotted Amad's run, played a long ball over the top, the Ivorian knocked it beyond Ederson and did the rest. It marked a fourth win in six games and it felt as though the tide was turning.

But the euphoria and jubilation that ought to have been bottled from that comeback escaped United's clutches and they lost their next four games, conceding 11 goals. That sequence also featured three successive Premier League defeats without scoring.

Since beating City on December 15, United have played 25 matches across all competitions, winning eight in 90 minutes. Their other victory in that period came against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round via a penalty shootout.

Of those eight wins in regulation time, three have been in the Europa League, helping United reach the quarter-finals of the competition. They face Lyon in the second leg of their quarter-final showdown at Old Trafford on Thursday night and the outcome of that game will determine whether United's season will be still alive or dead in the water.

But regardless of what happens in the Europa League, United's Premier League campaign has long since derailed. The win at City in mid-December moved United to within five points of their cross-city rivals in the table.

Admittedly, United were 13th, but a top four push, fuelled by the confidence and belief gained from beating their neighbours in their own backyard, ought to have been the target.

Instead, United have won just four of their 16 league games since, amassing