Manchester United Senior Players Must Learn From Past Leaders, Says Fletcher

Manchester United interim manager Darren Fletcher says senior players must now drive standards and create a fresh winning cycle similar to the Alex Ferguson era, as the club faces another season without

a trophy and a drastically reduced fixture list following their FA Cup exit.

United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday ended their FA Cup run and removed realistic hopes of silverware, leaving 2025-26 on course to be their seventh trophyless campaign in nine years, while the absence of European football means they will contest only 40 matches in all competitions.

Fletcher believes the current squad needs stronger internal leadership, pointing to Ferguson’s teams where influential figures inside the dressing room set examples, educated younger teammates and helped maintain standards across seasons, creating what Fletcher describes as a repeating culture that sustained success over many years.

I was lucky to play with players I played with in a dressing room. I learned from the older players, and it became a cycle, said Fletcher. We weren't aware of that when we were younger. We thought we knew what it takes but we didn't and the older players, the experienced players, the ones who had been there before and did it, they educated us. They moulded us, Sir Alex moulded us. That was a cycle that was created, that cycle takes time to create. But again, there are experienced players in that dressing room who need to come together and carry the team, who need to challenge the team, who need to make the new players understand it, and pull them along with them and drag them. I hope that they do.

The club’s reduced calendar underlines the scale of the setback, with early exits from both domestic cups following the decision to part company with Ruben Amorim last week, and statistics highlighting that United are on course for their fewest games in a single season for more than a century.

40 - Following their early exits in the League Cup and FA Cup, Manchester United are now guaranteed to play just 40 games in all competitions this season, their fewest since the 1914-15 campaign (39). Brief. pic.twitter.com/bPz9G68GFhOptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 12, 2026

United’s fixture list contrasts sharply with modern expectations at elite clubs, as they will play fewer matches than in any campaign since 1914-15, when they featured in 39 competitive games, a drop that limits opportunities for silverware and reduces chances for squad players to gain minutes.

Season	Manchester United games in all competitions
1914-15	39
2025-26	40 (guaranteed)

Manchester United coaching situation and upcoming fixtures

Reports on Monday suggest Manchester United are close to appointing former midfielder Michael Carrick as interim head coach until the end of the season, with Fletcher expected to remain on staff as assistant while the club delays a decision on a permanent manager until the campaign concludes.

United’s immediate task does not ease, as Manchester City visit Old Trafford on Saturday before a trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal eight days later, a demanding sequence that will further test a squad already under scrutiny and place added importance on the leadership from Fletcher’s senior players.

Fletcher remains without a win after two matches as interim boss, and with the club out of Europe, the focus for the remainder of 2025-26 now centres on stabilising performances, strengthening the dressing-room culture described by Fletcher and preparing a foundation for whichever manager is appointed permanently.