‘In the box seat’ – Michael Owen makes Man United manager prediction for ex-teammate

Jan 7, 2026 - 11:15

Michael Owen has revealed he is delighted to see his former Manchester United teammate Darren Fletcher in interim charge.

Fletcher was named Red Devils caretaker boss following the club’s decision to sack Ruben Amorim on Monday.

Fletcher will be in charge for the midweek trip to Burnley

The 41-year-old, who has made the step up from coaching United’s under-18s, will be in the dugout for the senior side against Burnley.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in advanced talks to become interim head coach for the rest of the season, talkSPORT understands.

However, Owen, who played 26 times in a United shirt with Fletcher, has admitted that the landscape could change with good results.

“I’m delighted for Fletch,” he said during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com on behalf of online casino experts.

“I think he’ll be an accomplished manager in time; he loves the game.

“He’s got a lot of passion for the game. He thinks about it constantly. He lives it, as his two sons obviously play.

“I think this scenario, it’s almost a little bit like what happened with Solskjaer, not too many years ago. You can absolutely see if Fletch picks up a good result against Burnley, then he’ll probably get given the next game against Brighton, and then the next game, then the next game.

“Eventually, after six or seven games, if he’s doing well, you can see him keeping the job until the end of the season.

“If he keeps doing well until the end of the season, after all of these disappointments for the last decade or so, who knows?

“He’s in the box seat at the moment. As I say, if he picks up results and does well, then who knows what can happen.”

Michael Owen revealed he was delighted for Fletcher

The pair famously both scored in the 4-3 Manchester derby win over City in 2009

Fletcher got Alex Ferguson’s blessing

The former Scotland midfielder made his debut as a Man United player in 2003 under Ferguson, who turned 84 on New Year’s Eve.

“I don’t like to make any major decisions or things without speaking to Sir Alex,” Fletcher said.

“I’ve got a really good relationship with Sir Alex so he’s probably the first person on the phone actually so I wanted to speak to him first. And ultimately to get his blessing, to be perfectly honest with you.

“I think he deserves that respect. I wanted to run it by him and see what he thought and he was supportive of it.”

Reacting to that on talkSPORT Breakfast, Gabby Agbonlahor said: “I get it 100 per cent, but you don’t want to be going to Sir Alex for decisions, you know, he should have his own thoughts about it.

“Hopefully, he does have his own thoughts about the team he’s going to play tonight.”

Solskjaer is set to take the wheel at Old Trafford again after Fletcher’s interim spell

Carrick also had a brief stint as caretaker after Solskjaer was sacked

Man United manager latest

As reported by talkSPORT on Tuesday, Solskjaer has the support of several first-team stars, including Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire.

The Norwegian and Michael Carrick have both been contacted by United, who are on the hunt for a short-term successor to Amorim.

But talkSPORT understands United are more likely to turn to Solskjaer, who became interim boss after Jose Mourinho‘s sacking in December 2018.

Fletcher, meanwhile, will be assisted by former United teammate Jonny Evans in the dugout at Turf Moor.

He was also considered an option to remain in the role until the end of the season, and it remains to be seen who will take the side for United’s FA Cup tie against Brighton on Sunday.