Darren Fletcher has been informed he will take the reins for Manchester United‘s Premier League encounter with Burnley on Wednesday evening, with discussions about his future role postponed until after the match. Fletcher was thrust into the interim head coach position on Monday after the club’s decision to dismiss Ruben Amorim and his backroom team, immediately taking charge of training that same day.
However, negotiations regarding an extension to his temporary appointment remain on ice until following the Turf Moor fixture. The Scottish midfielder has confirmed the addition of Travis Binnion, Alan Wright and former defender Jonny Evans to his coaching setup, though he disclosed that his brief currently covers just the single fixture following discussions with director of football Jason Wilcox.
United have reportedly approached potential candidates for a caretaker position, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick among those being considered to take the reins, though Fletcher’s interim stint could potentially stretch to include Sunday’s FA Cup clash against Brighton.
“I’ve had a conversation and the focus was on this game and we’ll speak after the game,” he explained. “I’ve got a game to prepare, training session to organise, speak to players. The focus has been on the Burnley match and we’ll speak after the game”.
When questioned about his long-term ambitions for the role, Fletcher responded: “Honestly, it’s not something I’ve thought about. That discussion is for after the game. It’s all happened so quickly, all my concentration and efforts are going on Burnley.”
Fletcher, who has donned the United jersey 342 times and served in various roles including first-team coach, academy coach, and technical director, has now ascended to the position of first-team head coach.
The 41-year-old conceded that his promotion came under less than ideal circumstances, but confessed that managing United was beyond his wildest dreams.
“It’s surreal, it’s an amazing honour to be able to lead a Manchester United team,” he expressed. “I didn’t think in my wildest dreams that was something that could happen.
“To lead out a team is an amazing honour and something I’m really proud of. Not in the circumstances I expected, that’s something that doesn’t sit easy with me, but I’ve got a job to do and will think of the honour and pride.”