OF ALL the old boys’ club members that returned to Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the one logical addition was Darren Fletcher.
Fletcher punched above his weight under Sir Alex Ferguson to become one of the most pivotal players at United between 2008-10.
He was an articulate talker during his 12-year career in the United first team and that augurs well as he becomes the fifth post-Ferguson player to take caretaker charge.
Fletcher, 41, has always been approachable and communicative since he returned to United in January 2021, initially as a first-team coaching staff member.
He was appointed the club’s inaugural technical director only two months later but that role offered little clarity. Fletcher would sometimes watch games from the dugout, or with the analysts in the press box or from the directors’ box.
His role became more defined under Erik ten Hag, who brought clarity to Fletcher’s matchday presence.
Fletcher was the United coaches’ “eye in the sky”. While Ten Hag, assistant Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren sat in the dugout, Fletcher occupied a tactical vantage point with the analysts in the stands.
In five years, Fletcher worked under five different permanent and caretaker managers. Two of them – Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy – were ex-team-mates.
Van Nistelrooy used to give a teenage Fletcher lifts to the club’s Carrington training complex in the early-mid 2000s. Fletcher repaid him by lending Van Nistelrooy box sets of 24.
Fletcher does not walk in the opposite direction if he sees a throng of journalists, unlike members of the Ineos cabal.
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Sir Dave Brailsford was notoriously aloof during his 18-month attempt to convince United that football, not cycling, was his wheelhouse.
Director of football Jason Wilcox has been too reticent as well, when he has had plenty of opportunities to press the flesh at Carrington or on pre-season tours.
But Fletcher is not afraid to speak his mind. He pulled me to one side in San Diego during United’s 2024 pre-season tour after a 3-2 win against Real Betis.
Some at the club did not appreciate this correspondent’s criticism of fitness coach Charlie Owen after the high-profile injuries to Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund in United’s first tour match against Arsenal in Los Angeles.
Out of sight of the mixed zone by the team bus, Fletcher politely defended Owen and outlined how he had impressed various coaches since he was promoted to the United first team in 2019.
I apologised for causing any offence. Fletcher scoffed at that. “You don’t need to apologise,” he stressed.
The cordial conversation moved on to other topics that Fletcher was happy to provide insight on.
More flatteringly, he congratulated me on my two goals (that is not a typo) in the annual Old Trafford press game in May 2023.
United had an FA Cup final against City on the horizon but Fletcher still turned out for the United media team in their 9-4 thumping of us.
His touch and reading of the game were still impeccable and he never misplaced a pass during his auto-pilot cameo.
Fletcher can handle criticism, though he is unlikely to cop as much as Ruben Amorim did from former United players.
Solskjaer was seldom held to account by friends Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes et al. David Moyes had an easy ride as Phil Neville and Ryan Giggs were members of his coaching staff.
Fletcher’s switch to the under 18 role was a loss for us journalists. He would often sidle over for a chat before a training session on pre or post-season tours, be it Bangkok, Perth, Los Angeles or Kuala Lumpur.
Fletcher accepted the under 18 post in the summer as he has plans to go into management. On Sunday, it felt probable we would have an audience with him, rather than Amorim, on Tuesday evening at Carrington.
He has not exactly got the Manchester press pack onside with a 5pm press conference. Joking aside, Fletcher is a good man and good luck to him.
One of the reasons that Fletcher accepted the under 18 role was he would not have to manage his twin sons, Jack and Tyler, now above that age group.
He will be managing them after all in the build-up to his first match in management at Burnley.
And with Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes potentially back, he may have to drop Jack or Tyler from the matchday squad.
