One of Darren Fletcher’s former teammates, Michael Owen, has made a prediction about his future coaching career after his interim spell.
Darren Fletcher’s appointment as interim manager of Manchester United will have caught many off guard, including the Scotsman himself.
A former member of Erik ten Hag’s coaching team and current U18s boss, Fletcher took charge of United’s senior side for the first time on Wednesday evening as Rúben Amorim’s former side drew 2-2 Burnley, following a brace from Benjamin Šeško.
Fletcher took charge of the squad as Jason Wilcox and United’s other higher-ups search for a permanent replacement for Amorim, with Brighton in the FA Cup this weekend.
Since retiring in 2020, Fletcher has been a key part of United’s backroom staff, both in the coaching setup and recruitment side. His current role as U18s boss will have prepared him for a management role in future years, but he has already been thrust into the limelight.
Owen makes Fletcher future predicition
Owen played with Fletcher in some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s final years at Old Trafford before moving to Stoke City in 2012. Speaking with TalkSPORT, Owen gave his thoughts on Fletcher’s United appointment.
“I’m delighted for Fletch,” said the former centre-forward. “I think he’ll be an accomplished manager in time; he loves the game.
“He’s got a lot of passion for the game. He thinks about it constantly. He lives it, as his two sons obviously play.
“I think this scenario, it’s almost a little bit like what happened with [Ole Gunnar] Solskjær, not too many years ago. You can absolutely see if Fletch picks up a good result against Burnley, then he’ll probably get given the next game against Brighton, and then the next game, then the next game.
“Eventually, after six or seven games, if he’s doing well, you can see him keeping the job until the end of the season.”
Could Fletcher stay permanently?
Owen’s comments tell United fans how obsessed Fletcher is with coaching and the football club, but how realistic is Fletcher becoming the full-time boss?
Owen went on to say: “If he keeps doing well until the end of the season, after all of these disappointments for the last decade or so, who knows?
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“He’s in the box seat at the moment. As I say, if he picks up results and does well, then who knows what can happen.”
Solksjaer proved that interim managers can be given the full-time role, but it could take something unbelievable from Fletcher against Burnley, with United already reportedly in talks with the Norwegian and his former assistant, Michael Carrick.
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