Man Utd brass ‘dazzled’ by rising manager who plays ‘excellent football’ as pressure mounts on Amorim

INEOS reportedly believe they already have Ruben Amorim’s potential replacement at home, as Darren Fletcher becomes the latest name linked to the Old Trafford hot seat.

The Portuguese manager is enduring a miserable start to the season, losing three of the team’s first six Premier League fixtures, in addition to suffering a humiliating elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of fourth-tier side Grimsby Town.

While the club’s management continues to back the under-fire coach, both publicly and privately, many believe the latter is walking on thin ice. Amorim has also been described as ‘lonely’ and ‘broken’ by Carrington insiders, suggesting that the despairing 40-year-old is not too far away from his breaking point.

Man United considering Fletcher for post-Amorim era

At this stage, most accounts agree that Man Utd aren’t actively pursuing any replacement, but this hasn’t stopped them from taking a glance or two at the managers’ market. Some would argue that a defeat to Sunderland on Saturday would spell the end of the Portuguese’s time at United.

In recent days, several names have been mentioned as potential candidates. The list includes Oliver Glasner, Fabian Hurzeler, and Gareth Southgate, although the latter has reportedly ruled himself out of the race.

But according to The Sun journalists Katherine Walsh and Kealan Hughes, Fletcher’s stocks are on the rise,  especially after ‘dazzling’ the hierarchy with his impeccable professionalism and ‘excellent football’ since taking over Man Utd’s U18 side in the summer.

(Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Darren Fletcher, a Man Utd loyalist through and through

The 41-year-old spent the bulk of his career at United. While he wasn’t always a regular starter, he was highly appreciated for his great ethic and dedication to the cause.

The Scot eventually left the club in 2015, embarking on late-career spells at West Brom and Stoke, before hanging up his boots in 2020.

Afterwards, he returned to Man Utd to serve as an assistant manager for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and was also collaborated with Erik ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Amorim, before being appointed as U18 boss in recent months.