Man Utd go AGAINST Darren Fletcher's advice with Ruben Amorim succession plan - The Mirror

Darren Fletcher will be the Manchester United caretaker boss when they face Burnley on Wednesday as they search for an interim - but Fletcher himself was very against that method previously

Darren Fletcher previously claimed that Manchester United "shouldn't really be appointing an interim manager" - just as the club are set to do so as part of their succession planning following Ruben Amorim's sacking.

Fletcher, who made the comments in 2019 when he was a player at Stoke City, is part of that plan and will be the caretaker for Wednesday's clash with Burnley. The club then intend to hire an interim boss until the end of the season before getting someone permanent in the door. The former player had been coaching the U18s and will now step up, but was not a fan of the club going down the interim route when they did so in 2018 in the wake of Jose Mourinho's sacking. On that occasion they hired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Fletcher admitted then that Solskjaer was someone who can deliver some "cutting words" in the dressing room and would "let people know when they weren't doing things that were expected of them" - but was ultimately against the interim decision.

He told the BBC: "United shouldn't really be appointing an interim manager. There is a real concern that you could have two seasons of rebuilding again, which is a real worry, and Manchester United should never be in this position. It's mismanagement from the top level."

That was under a different hierarchy, led by Ed Woodward. There was clearly no long-term plan at United as Solskjaer's success as interim led them to giving him the job permanently - just three months after he arrived to temporarily steady the ship.

There are again fears that success for whoever occupies the dugout could lead the Manchester bosses to stick with what they've got - even if that isn't the plan at present. Fletcher is among the bookies favourite to be the next permanent boss at Old Trafford, a decision that will be made by the likes of Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.

When Solskjaer landed the job he became the first United manager to win his first six league games, beating a record held by Sir Matt Busby. Woodward claimed after appointing him on a three-year deal that "the results Ole has delivered speak for themselves."

Gary Neville has claimed that the next manager at Old Trafford should be someone who understands the DNA of the club - a box Fletcher for example would tick given he played for the Red Devils. There is also talk of a return for Solskjaer.

Neville said: "The experiments have got to stop. I've always been very proud of what this club is -- adventurous, exciting football, playing young players and entertaining the crowd. They must take risks and have the courage to play attacking, aggressive football. United have got to a point where they need a manager who fits the DNA of the football club."

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