Steeped in the afterglow of Manchester United’s golden era, Darren Fletcher now steps into the breach to steady the club’s faltering charge for Champions League qualification this season. Though the club statement announcing Ruben Amorim’s departure only said Fletcher would take charge of the team for the next match, against Burnley, on Wednesday (January 7), it is likely that the 41-year-old former Scotland international remains in charge till the end of the season, especially if results go his way.
This will make life easier for the bumbling hierarchy at Old Trafford. Fletcher, a graduate of the youth academy, is a familiar and beloved face to the Old Trafford faithful—he played more than 300 times for the club, winning 13 major trophies—and, like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before him, will be able to shield the leadership from the wrath of the fans. But, for that safety net to materialise, the team will have to get results. So, the first question is: Is Fletcher actually qualified to manage United?
Well, he has the so-called United DNA. As a player, he had immense work rate and showed tactical intelligence. The latter is reason for hope that Fletcher can hold his own as interim coach. But, it is also worth remembering that the last two permanent managers—Amorim and Erik ten Hag—were both highly rated and proven, but still could not survive the toxic environment at the club. But, Fletcher is more used to the unique pressures of United. Also, there is no real expectations from him. The only thing he has to do is keep players motivated. He should be able to manage that by cashing in on his ex-United aura.
However, it is clear that Fletcher is under-qualified to be United manager. So far, his experience includes coaching the United U16s, a brief stint as a first-team coach and then an absurd promotion to technical director—meaning that he was both assistant and boss to interim manager Ralf Ragnick. Then in 2024, United continued the trend of hiring under-qualified technical directors by roping in Jason Wilcox. Fletcher was left to float around—apparently “playing a key role”. A year later, he was made head coach of the U18s. So, in senior football management, he is a tactical unknown.
It is unlikely that he will have a distinct identity or style of play as a coach. But, that is perfect given that this group of United players have shown that they are not really capable of executing any tactics. So, instead, Fletcher will have to line them up in a formation using a back four, give them freedom—like Solskjaer did—and then hope for the best. Freed of any disciplinary requirements or the need to show some tactical intelligence, this United squad should be able to ‘express themselves’. And, since the highly paid, expensively assembled squad has physical attributes and a degree of talent, the team should be able to get some results, if Fletcher is able enforce some structure.
That is, pack the defence and midfield (options include his twin sons Jack and Tyler) with what would effectively be a back six, akin to the Solskjaer days, and unleash Bruno Fernandes, when he is back fit, in the No. 10 role. When all the attackers are available, Fletcher’s best attack is Matheus Cunha on the left, Bryan Mbeumo as the striker and Amad Diallo on the right. That team should be able to get the results to get United into Europe.
However, it is important for the long run that Fletcher isn't made permanent, even if the team goes on to have a spectacular season. Even if United somehow go and win the league, he should still only be considered if he shows a clear vision and a remarkable improvement in performance levels. Results alone are not a metric to over-reward an interim manager on, especially in a season as unpredictable as the current one (only the top three have shown any consistency).
Realistically, the best thing for United to do is to get a proven manager at the earliest. But, the market is likely to be more open in the summer. So, as long as Fletcher does not prove to be a complete disaster, United can prop him up and hide behind him. If he does really bad, well, the blame will be on Amorim anyway.
