Darren Fletcher will be appointed caretaker manager when Manchester United face Burnley in search of a caretaker manager on Wednesday, a move Fletcher himself previously strongly opposed.
Darren Fletcher has previously claimed that Manchester United are planning to appoint an interim manager as part of their succession plan following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, but that he “should not have appointed an interim manager”.
Fletcher, who made the remarks in 2019 when he was a Stoke City player, is part of the plan and will be in charge of Wednesday’s game against Burnley. The club will then hire an interim manager until the end of the season, after which he will be appointed permanently. The former player previously coached the Under-18s and will step up this time, but he was not a fan when the club opted for an interim route in 2018 following the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho. In doing so, they hired Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Fletcher admitted at the time that Solskjær was someone who could have “sharp words” in the dressing room and “let people know when they weren’t doing what was expected of them”, but ultimately disagreed with the interim decision.
He told the BBC: “United should never have appointed a caretaker manager. There is a big concern that it will take two seasons to rebuild again, which is a real worry and Manchester United should never be in this position. It’s a mismanagement at the top level.”
read more: “I was sacked by Man United like Ruben Amorim. Halfway through the final game I thought it was over.”read more: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim makes different decisions on two unwanted star players
It was under a separate hierarchy headed by Ed Woodward. Solskjaer’s success as an interim led United to give him the permanent job, so there were clearly no long-term plans. It was only three months after he arrived to temporarily stabilize the ship.
There are renewed fears that if the dugout occupier is successful, Manchester’s leaders will stick to the status quo, even if that is not the plan at the moment. Fletcher is one of the favorites among bookmakers to become Old Trafford’s next permanent manager, with a decision to be made by the likes of Omar Berada and Jason Wilcox.
When Solskjaer took over, he became the first United manager to win his first six league games, breaking the record held by Sir Matt Busby. After appointing him on a three-year contract, Woodward claimed, “The results that Ole has brought in speak for themselves.”
Gary Neville has insisted Old Trafford’s next manager should be someone who understands the club’s DNA. For example, Box Fletcher would fit the bill, considering he played for the Red Devils. There is also talk of Solskjaer returning.
Neville said: “The experiments have to stop. I’ve always been proud of what this club is about: adventurous and exciting football, playing young players and entertaining the crowd. They have to have the courage to take risks and play attacking, aggressive football. United have reached a stage where they need a manager who fits the DNA of the football club.”
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