The first call Darren Fletcher made was, perhaps, the one he was always likely to make. It is probably the kind of conversation Sir Alex Ferguson has had five times over the last dozen years. First Ryan Giggs, then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then Michael Carrick, then Ruud van Nistelrooy, now Fletcher, each asking if they should take the reins Ferguson held for 26 years and 1,500 games.
Ferguson said yes, which was just as well. To go by Fletcher’s answer, United may have needed another interim head coach if he had replied otherwise. But in times of strife, United have shown a tendency to turn to their own. And they, in turn, look to Ferguson for guidance.
