After failing to win any of their opening three games of the season, Manchester United seem to have finally turned a corner under Ruben Amorim, with tipsters now back the Reds as the fifth betting favourites to finish in the top four.
The Portuguese manager recently admitted that he was adapting to the Premier League during his debut campaign, but now seems to have found his feet.
At the time of writing, the Red Devils have put together an impressive five-match unbeaten streak – the first of its kind in the Amorim era.
They’ll look to extend that run when they host Everton at Old Trafford on Monday night and then face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to wrap up their November fixtures.
United went into the November international break seventh on the Premier League table, just one point behind fourth-placed Sunderland.
Their recent form has sparked talks about Amorim’s side potentially being in the top-four conversation.
While it’s still early days, United fans are optimistic about the future for the first time since he joined the club.
But they’d be ill-advised to jump the gun since there’s still plenty of games to be played, especially during the festive period.
At the moment, United have six Premier League fixtures scheduled for December, and that jam-packed schedule could make or break their top-four ambitions.
They have some tricky fixtures lined up, but if they can make the most of that run, then it wouldn’t be far-fetched to back them in the top four race.
Here’s how things are shaping up for United in December.
West Ham United (H)
Man United will welcome relegation-battling West Ham United to Old Trafford for their first fixture in December.
If they can maintain their current momentum, it should be one of their easier fixtures, but United have a dreadful recent record against the Hammers.
Interestingly, the Red Devils have won just one of their last five Premier League games against West Ham, with a 3-0 win sandwiched between a pair of back-to-back defeats.
With the Hammers in a battle to salvage their Premier League status, United may not get a better chance to set the record straight.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
At the time of writing, Wolverhampton Wanderers have collected just two points from their opening 11 league games and look the most likely to be relegated so far.
With a new manager at the helm, their fortunes could change in the coming weeks, but anything other than a win for United at Molineux Stadium would be disappointing.
However, it doesn’t help that Wolves were one of a number of teams that did the double over United last term.
Bournemouth (H)
After taking on Wolves, United host Bournemouth on December 15. The Cherries started the season in fantastic form, but they’ve hit a rough patch over the past few weeks.
However, form may not matter when both sides lock horns, considering United have failed to win any of their last four meetings with Bournemouth (D2, L2).
Ominously, those two defeats came at Old Trafford, although both sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium last time out.
Aston Villa (A)
This is one of the more difficult fixtures on United’s December schedule. Since Unai Emery’s arrival, Aston Villa have made a name for themselves as giant killers.
You wouldn’t put it past them to throw a wrench in United’s plans, but the Red Devils seem to have their number.
United are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Villa (W4, D1), claiming a 2-0 win in the final game of last season.
But recent trips to Villa Park haven’t been as productive, with United winning just one of their last four visits (D2, L1).
Newcastle United (H)
Newcastle United might be United’s biggest test in this jam-packed schedule. The Magpies have been far from their sparkling best so far, but they tend to come alive against United.
In fact, United have won just one of their last seven games against Newcastle (D2, L4), losing home and away to the Magpies last season.
United will hope Old Trafford offers some reprieve, given their dominant record on home turf – although Newcastle came out on top on their last visit to the Theatre of Dreams.
Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
United will wrap up the jam-packed December schedule with a rematch against Wolves at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have lost two of their last four home games against the Midlands club (W2). That run came after they had recorded seven league games without defeat (W5, D2).
United should be picking up maximum points in the majority of these fixtures, especially against Wolves.
This could be Amorim’s best chance to prove to the United supporters that he’s the right man to bring back the glory days.
Man.Utd making alot of mistakes by carelessly passing the ball. It is shame to see that they never scored one even though the opponents had one man less. This is not we are expecting them to go down instead of improving and having more consistency.