Manchester United caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has defended the club’s young players after sacked head coach Ruben Amorim questioned whether some of the players in the academy were “deserving”.
Darren Fletcher protected Manchester United’s young players (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Darren Fletcher has defended Manchester United’s academy and young players and refuted claims made by Ruben Amorim.
Amorim has made headlines in the final weeks of his tenure, highlighting the struggles of Harry Amath and Chido Obi so far this season and criticizing what he feels is an “entitled” attitude among some of the club’s younger players.
Despite a spate of injuries, Amorim was hesitant to rely on the club’s young players. In contrast, caretaker manager Fletcher gave 18-year-old Shay Lacey a chance against Burnley on Wednesday, and the youngster almost scored the dramatic winning goal late on in a 2-2 draw.
As United’s Under-18s coach, Fletcher is in a good position to assess the academy’s management. He not only praised the talent within the academy, but also defended their character.
read more: Darren Fletcher confirms FA Cup squad, two Manchester United stars absent from game against Brightonread more: Manchester United’s next manager: 3 names included on shortlist to replace Ruben Amorim
“Historically, this club is built around the academy and we have a great academy,” Fletcher said at a press conference ahead of the FA Cup game against Brighton, as reported by the Manchester Evening News. “Our record speaks for itself and I’m not going to sit here or stand here and say otherwise.
“We have a great record. I think it will be difficult to break if you think about the history of clubs around the world. I think we have great players, great talent. What I see is that we have a lot of hard-working, humble young players who are not perfect because they are young and learning and have a lot of work to do.”
“I think in society and in general we sometimes ask too much of young people and expect too much from them. That’s not a criticism of anyone, it’s just my belief. We have to let them learn, we have to educate them, we have to help them, we have to make them understand that they’re going to make mistakes and do things that are frustrating. But over time, with good guidance from coaches, families and first-team players, we all play a role, that’s our role, it’s our job to develop them into Manchester United players and Manchester United people.
Shay Lacey is one of Manchester United’s exciting young players (Image: Getty Images)
“All I can say is about the work I do with the players as individuals, and across the academy I have kids who are hard-working, honest, well-coached and very talented. We have a lot of talent in our academy and I hope they can give themselves the way Sia came close to scoring that great goal against Burnley.”
Fletcher has witnessed the talent of Carrington’s next generation of players emerge as under-18s manager, but his words were in stark contrast to Amorim’s words in December. “He (Toby Collier) used to play (for United). He came from the academy. He played here,” the Red Devils manager began.
“He went to West Bromwich, he didn’t play, he played for Manchester United, so sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or something.
“It’s the situation. What happened. We don’t know what the future holds (for Mainu). We’ll see after this game. Amath are currently struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter in the under-21 team. They all played at a time when many were calling for the manager to be sacked!”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily Manchester United content from Mirror Football. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
