06 March 2024 , 10:39
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Darren Fletcher is set to be given a different role as part of the sweeping changes being implemented at Manchester United by new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Fletcher, 40, made over 340 appearances for United during his playing career and has been part of the club's backroom staff since 2020. Initially joining as an Under-16 coach, Fletcher had a brief stint coaching the first-team before settling into his current role as technical director.
And while Fletcher remains highly thought of at Old Trafford, he seemingly won't be immune from change as Ratcliffe and his Ineos team continue with their plans to overhaul United's non-playing structure.
A new report from The Telegraph has outlined that Fletcher's current title is not suited to his actual duties. It is believed Fletcher will subsequently be given a role different role in line with his responsibilities with a new job title, rather than his current one which has been described as 'misleading'.
While Fletcher has helped football director John Murtough with recruitment, his duties are predominantly focused on acting as an academy first-team liaison and a coach. A number of EFL clubs have previously been keen to speak with Fletcher about managerial vacancies but the former Scotland midfielder has stayed loyal to United.
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It's noted that United are targeting other names to fill the role of technical director. Southampton's Jason Wilcox, formerly of Manchester City, is one such target, while Dougie Freedman is also being lined up for a head of recruitment role. United have already appointed Omar Berrada as their new chief executive and there are aspirations to install Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
Although Fletcher is highly regarded at United, that didn't prevent Erik ten Hag from ignoring his transfer advice back in 2022 when the technical director urged the Dutchman to sign then-Stoke City defender Nathan Collins.
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Fletcher has worked closely with Erik ten Hag since the Dutchman was appointed in the summer of 2022 (PA)Collins was widely acknowledged as one of the Championship's best defenders at the time, but Ten Hag opted against making a move for the Irishman, who was subsequently signed by Wolves. United instead raided Ten Hag's former club, Ajax, to sign Lisandro Martinez.
Despite that snub, Ten Hag has spoken positively of Fletcher's influence during his Old Trafford tenure. He noted the influence Fletcher wields as an academy first-team liaison while talking about Amad's impressive loan at Sunderland last season, explaining: “We loan such players to let them develop and make progress. To bring them back... that is the aim of a loan.
“We are really strong on them on the matter of the way we mentor them, and so we follow them and we have communication through all the season, especially Darren Fletcher. He invests a lot in such processes and the aim is to bring them back as a better player and with better experience.”
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