Darren Fletcher’s managerial reign at Manchester United, for however long, begins on Wednesday night when they travel to Burnley in the Premier League.
Fletcher has been appointed on an interim basis at the club following Monday morning’s sacking of head coach Ruben Amorim.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Fletcher spoke of his excitement at being entrusted to take side at Turd Moor.
‘It’s surreal. It’s an amazing honour to be able to lead a Manchester United team,’ he said.
‘I don’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 today. 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.’
Darren Fletcher will take charge of Manchester United for the first time on Wednesday night
He is in as their interim manager, replacing Bruno Amorim (left) who was sacked on Monday
The role is a full circle moment for the 41-year-old who came through the ranks as a player in the academy before becoming a key player under Sir Alex Ferguson – winning 10 major honours, including give Premier League titles and a Champions League.
He becomes the fifth club great to become their interim manager after former team-mates Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The latter three and Fletcher have been candidates to be interim until the end of the season, with Daily Mail Sport now understanding it is between just Solskjaer and Carrick.
When asked on Tuesday about his own prospect, Fletcher was reluctant to be drawn over the possibility of staying in charge any longer, even though he confirmed holding talks with director of football Jason Wilcox.
‘I’ve had a conversation and the focus was on this game. We’ll speak after the game,’ he continued.
‘I’ve got a game to prepare for, a training session to organise, and speak to players. The focus has been on the Burnley match and we’ll speak after the game.’
Wednesday’s match will be a world away from his current full-time role as United’s Under-18s coach – a job he only took in the summer.
There his side currently sit second in the Premier League North, having won eight of their 14 games this season, drawing two and losing four.
During his career at United, Fletcher won 10 major honours – including the 2007-08 league title
Fletcher’s Under-18 side deploy a 4-3-3 formation – tactics that the United hierarchy would like
In Daily Mail Sport’s Nathan Salt’s detailed breakdown of Fletcher, he revealed the Scot’s preference to play in a 4-3-3 formation with a sitting midfielder flanked by two box-to-box No 8s. He has also shown an appetite to play with a No 10, a false No 9 or even a fluid front three of inverted wingers.
The ideology will be a welcomed change among the United hierarchy who had grown tired of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, as well as supporters.
Wednesday could be a proud day for the Fletcher family in more ways than one with his twin sons Jack and Tyler having been in and around the first-team squad in recent weeks.
Tyler is yet to make his debut but Jack has made three appearances for the men’s side – after Amorim gave him his bow as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa.
Asked if he would play his boys at Burnley, Fletcher said: ‘I would be disclosing team information and I’m not doing going to do that. They were in training on Monday, and they’ve been in the squad recently. They are on the periphery of the squad, but if they make the matchday squad remains to be seen.’
Nonetheless, their loved ones will be proud no matter what come kick-off.
Fletcher’s wife Hayley Grice will be included in that. The pair married in June 2010, three years after their sons were born, tying the knot at St Ambrose Catholic Church in Hale.
Refusing to sell their special day for an exclusive magazine deal, the special day is reported to have excluded Fletcher’s then team-mates – although many would have been away on World Cup duty in South Africa then.
His twin sons Jack (left) and Tyler are in United’s academy, with the former making his first three appearances for the first team this season
Fletcher refused to discuss if the pair could be involved for the trip to Burnley when asked
Fletcher has acknowledged the love and support he has received from Grice in the past, most notably during his health battles with chronic bowel disease ulcerative colitis.
In 2008 he noticed an issue, but it was something he kept secret from his Manchester United team-mates for more than three years. Only his family, the football club doctor and Ferguson knew.
He told team-mates about his chronic illness in December 2011 before having to take a break from the game he loved, eventually undergoing three operations.
Talking about it all in 2014, he reflected: ‘You can be running to the toilet 10, 20, 30 times a day and losing a lot of blood.
‘I found it difficult, making up stories for reasons why I wasn’t at training, why I was looking ill, why I was feeling ill, why I was rushing off to the bathroom. Basically lying to people’s faces.
‘Once I started talking about it and making it public knowledge it was such a relief; it was the best thing I did.
‘I ended up in hospital a couple of times on an IV drip. Surgery enabled me to be here today. I’m very fortunate.
‘I was prepared to just keep taking the steroids, to even put up with the bloated face and the headaches, but the doctors said I couldn’t stay on them for ever.
Fletcher’s has been married to his wife Hayley since 2010, tying the knot at St Ambrose Catholic Church in Hale
‘Eventually it would have had a huge impact on my body, on my organs. I would have been a complete mess.
‘At the same time people close to me were getting worried because my bowel was in a bad way. There was a concern it could perforate at any time, almost explode inside me. They’d worry it might happen when I was driving up to Scotland, in the middle of nowhere.
‘I don’t like talking about death because I don’t think I ever really thought about it. But I would have been in trouble if something like that had happened. I had kept battling, kept trying other forms of treatment; anything to avoid going through that series of operations.
‘But then that day arrives, when you realise that life is just non-existent, you are almost begging them to take you. You go from putting off surgery and being petrified of it to this sense of desperation; you’re that low, you’re like “take me now”.’
Fletcher made his return to United’s first-team in January 2013 to fanfare.
Thirteen years later he will have the club’s vociferous away support backing him on the touchline as he looks to lead the Red Devils to only their second win in their last eight Premier League outings.
