They have to show they want to be part of Man United’s future, says interim coach
Darren Fletcher has called Manchester United’s players “fragile” and warned them not to waste the season after the club was knocked out of the FA Cup third round by Brighton.
United lost 2-1 to Brighton after goals from Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck in the first and second half. A second-half goal from Benjamin Sesko, his third in two games, was not enough to salvage matters or indeed mask the poor performance.
“We started okay but the goal knocked the stuffing out of us,” Fletcher said. “Our passing was quite slow so I challenged the players at halftime. It was similar to the game in the week, we needed to move the ball with more tempo.
“When we got back to 2-1, I thought here we go, the crowd was up, the energy was up, but ultimately we couldn’t get the equaliser. You can see that the players are fragile and they need to build themselves up because it’s up to them now – they have got to respond.
“Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football. When you don’t have confidence you have to dig deep – and you have to battle, grind, fight, work, win games – and then the confidence comes back.”
United’s exit from the FA Cup at the earliest possible stage means they now have next to no chance of silverware this season, with only the Premier League left to play. United are seventh in the league, three points off the top four and seventeen behind leaders Arsenal. Their major aim is now to qualify for the Champions League next season and Fletcher said it was up to the players to show they could do that.
“True character reveals itself in difficult times and we learned a lot about the players,” said Fletcher. “They have to dig in, show they want to be part of Man United’s future and ultimately if you are not, I don’t think you should be here. They are experienced players, talented players and I challenge them to regroup. It’s over to them.
“Someone is going to come in and lead them. They need to make sure they have a lot to play for this season. This team is still good enough to achieve success this season but they have got to dig deep and find a way within themselves.”
United are yet to find an interim option to replace Ruben Amorim after the Portuguese was sacked last week. Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are currently in contention and were interviewed at the weekend. Fletcher was also linked to the role but the 41-year-old says his position is currently unclear.
“I’ve had no discussions [with the hierarchy],” Fletcher. “I will find out tomorrow morning. I have had zero indications. All my focus has been on this [Burnley and Brighton]. It is a massive responsibility to lead this club and I have given it my best and I am disappointed not to win a game. I think there are some good things there but ultimately it wasn’t enough. I am more disappointed than anyone.”
