Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick takes issue with technical director Darren Fletcher
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has taken an issue with the role of technical director Darren Fletcher on the sidelines during games and on the training ground.
Rangnick has been in charge of the side since late last year, being given the job on an interim basis until the end of the season, trying to clean up the mess left behind by his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Fletcher, meanwhile, returned to his former employers after his playing career ended to take on a new position as coach of the youth teams, before eventually being appointed as the club’s technical director in what is typically perceived to be a behind-the-scenes role.
Together, the pair have tried to help the team push further up the Premier League table and secure a top-four finish by the end of the season, but the Manchester side have managed to only find themselves in sixth position.
Fletcher’s role questioned
If the situation on the pitch wasn’t bad enough, things are said to be even worse on the sidelines as there seems to be tension between Rangnick and Fletcher. The former is said to be surprised by the latter’s involvement in training sessions at Carrington, with the Scot occasionally opting to join in and help out when the senior group has been a player short.
Another point of awkwardness is the fact that the former United player continues to remain in the dugout – as was his role when Rangnick’s predecessor was in charge. Although German football has a practice where the team’s sporting director sits alongside the manager and his staff, the ex-RB Leipzig man has a specific issue with Fletcher shouting instructions during games and has even asked him to stop doing so.
Things seem to be going wrong for United both on and off the pitch, in what has been a disappointing season for everyone involved with the club. Results have been terrible of late, with our last Premier League outing being a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Under Rangnick, we have also seen our last hopes of winning a trophy disappear as we crashed out of the FA Cup and Champions League in 2022. This now takes us to having gone five years without winning any silverware.
Behind the scenes, Fletcher seems to be struggling to get along with the interim manager. The former Scotland international has also found himself in the awkward position of participating in meetings to decide who the next permanent boss should be, with everyone knowing that it is a role that Rangnick had wanted for himself.
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These issues, however, need to be addressed and sorted as soon as possible as there are only a few games remaining in the season for us to achieve our goal of finishing in the top four. It is hardly going to be an issue between Rangnick and the Scotsman beyond that, as Erik ten Hag has been confirmed as our new manager for next season.
What approach the Dutchman takes with regards to Fletcher’s role at the club will be interesting to see, but it would be surprising if such a minor issue becomes a major cause for concern during his first season in England.
