Mainoo, Bruno, Sesko among five positives from Fletcher’s two-game Man Utd reign

Darren Fletcher was unable to part the dark clouds above Old Trafford, but the interim-interim manager has achieved some little victories, if no actual wins…

Fletcher is reporting to Carrington on Monday morning to hear what Manchester United have in mind for the rest of the season. Reports suggest Michael Carrick has emerged as most likely to take over.

He may not have won any games, losing to Brighton after a draw at Burnley, but Fletcher’s brief reign wasn’t a dead loss. There were some positives to take despite the bleak overall outlook.

Handily for features like these, we’ve counted five…

The return of Kobbie Mainoo

Mainoo v Amorim was in danger of becoming 2026’s Pogba v Mourinho, especially while the midfielder’s idiot half-brother was hellbent on milking his sibling’s exile for all the attention he could.

Still, it was very clear that if Amorim remained in charge, Mainoo was finished. The manager did not trust the England star to play at the base of his midfield and he was way down the pecking order for the more advanced positions. A parting seemed inevitable…another academy product sold off and most likely to go and be a huge success elsewhere.

But Amorim’s exit makes that prospect far more remote. There is a role for Mainoo in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, but the 20-year-old still has plenty to prove after almost a lost year.

Upon returning from injury for the first post-Amorim game – convenient timing, that – Fletcher has given Mainoo the platform to build upon for the remainder of a season that may be all-but finished for the club, but the next 17 games are crucial for the player.

Back four back for good

Funny though it would have been to see Fletcher stick with a back three after Amorim, the interim-interim boss was never going to pass up the easiest win imaginable by reverting to a back four.

Not only to highlight a contrast between himself and Amorim; a back four simply suits the players at his disposal despite the previous manager’s desperate attempts to shoehorn them into a 3-4-2-1.

Especially the full-backs. Had Amorim stayed, United would have needed at least one, probably two new wing-backs. Literally all those who have played in the position over the last year are more comfortable as full-backs.

It times of struggle, it is always easiest to revert to what comes natural and we would be stunned if any of United’s defenders have grown up more used to a three than a four. These Red Devils evidently don’t catch on quick (ask Ralf Rangnick), so it makes complete sense to simplify things, and the principles of defending in a back four are less taxing on the brain.

All they need to do now is remember the basics of marking and closing down. One step at a time…

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Emergence of Shea Lacey

Another easy win, especially at Old Trafford, can usually be achieved by throwing in a kid. Fletcher resisted the temptation to do that with his sons but threw in Lacey, an 18-year-old who has been tearing it up in the academy.

That is not to say that Fletcher promoted Lacey ahead of time for his own ends; the teenager has earned his promotion. But Fletcher has clearly been more willing than Amorim to facilitate it.

Coming off the right flank, Lacey was bright against Burnley, almost scoring a stunner with his first senior touches, and against Brighton, it was evident his senior team-mates trust him. Of course, his two yellow cards were stupid and United have to hope it serves as a steep learning curve. But Lacey has whetted the appetite for more cameos through the remainder of the season.

To ham up his association with the academy and all that represents at United, Fletcher could have included 15-year-old JJ Gabriel in his squad for Brighton. That he didn’t is a positive. At least let the lad finish school before throwing him into the circus ring.

Confidence boost for Benjamin Sesko

Sesko has been a tough watch since he arrived from RB Leipzig for around £70million in the summer. He’s certainly not the only big money striker to arrive from abroad and take some time to settle, but the Slovenian’s confidence appeared to be draining to dangerously low levels.

That’ll happen when you don’t see the ball. Granted, there have been times when it has been slung his way and he’s been shrugged off it too easily for a lad of 6’5″, but far too much of his involvement in United’s play was far too far from the opposition goal.

That seemed to change against Burnley. Not only did he score twice, doubling his tally through the first 16 games in one night, but there was undeniably a greater emphasis on finding Sesko around the box. His two goals came as a result of seven shots on target – the most any player has managed in a single Premier League game this season.

Another goal though ultimately inconsequential followed against Brighton, with his three goals all different finishes: a first-time volley to meet a cross; a one-v-one after a run in behind; and a header from a set-piece.

Whoever comes in needs to make sure Sesko retains a similar supply line that Fletcher has laid for the centre-forward.

Bruno Fernandes closer to his best position

United’s search for a new manager is obviously their most pressing business. But their skipper’s situation needs plenty of attention too.

Reports suggest he’s had enough of United’s s*** and fancies getting away in the summer. You cannot blame him. Fernandes has been brilliant for United since he came through door in 2020 and perhaps only after he leaves will his contribution be truly appreciated by some.

From United’s perspective, hopefully there is still time to show Fernandes that it doesn’t have to be this bleak because literally no one would trust the club to replace his record-breaking creativity – he’s created double the number of chances of any other United player – in a summer when they are preoccupied with a manager.

On that, Fletcher has made a positive start simply by playing Fernandes in a position closer to his best. Under Amorim, he had to play at the base of the midfield and he made a decent fist of things. But United – and Sesko – need him closer to the opposition goal.

Against Brighton and Burnley (he played only an hour upon return from injury) in attacking midfield positions, Fernandes created five chances in each game, above his season average of 3.3 per 90. At Turf Moor, his withdrawal and United’s loss of control was no coincidence.

If United are to salvage something from this shipwreck of a season, it can only happen if Fernandes is flourishing further up the pitch.

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