One story told about Fletcher from that time relates to a game at Liverpool, two weeks after joining Solskjaer’s team.
Fletcher went into the directors’ area before the game for the first time and “everyone just thronged around him”.
“He kept the room listening to his stories for 15 minutes,” said a source who was there.
“Humble” is a word used to describe Fletcher at the time.
Fittingly, it was a trait Fletcher mentioned when talking about the youngsters in United’s academy on Friday.
Following Jason Wilcox’s arrival at the club in the spring of 2024, Fletcher reverted to a role as first-team coach under Erik ten Hag but Amorim decided he did not need the Scot, which many believe was a mistake.
Fletcher then assumed the under-18s role, waiting until twin sons Jack and Tyler had moved beyond that age group before taking over in the summer.
Though not one of the standout stars of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, the legendary Scottish boss loved his fellow countryman for the understated way he went about his job.
Some feel the absence of Fletcher through suspension after he was sent off in the semi-final against Arsenal was a significant factor in United being beaten by Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final, when they had no answer to the metronomic passing game of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Fletcher, father of younger twin girls, in addition to Jack and Tyler who were both brought into the first-team squad by Amorim in recent weeks, is privately relaxed about what comes next.
Publicly, the 41-year-old says he is happy to revert to his role with the under-18s, where he has been helping to develop promising youngsters, including England youth international JJ Gabriel and Jim Thwaites, who has earned rave reviews in a variety of midfield positions.
“I’ve tried to prepare myself to be a manager,” said Fletcher.
“It is something I always thought I might be quite good at or that I’d enjoy doing and enjoy the challenge of.
“But at the same time I wanted to be really careful and make sure I was ready for when that moment came.
“It’s not something I’m desperate to do – circumstances in life dictate that, and I’ve experienced how intense it has been as a manager for less than a week. There’s not much time for much outside football.
“But if I prepare myself and the opportunity comes for me one day, I know I’ll be ready. If it doesn’t and it means staying as the under-18s coach, I’ll be more than comfortable with that as I’m going to help develop players for Manchester United.”
