'I wanted to get to know them'

Fletcher said he felt it was important to speak with captain Bruno Fernandes, who could make a return to the matchday squad following a three-game absence.

The former Scotland international also wanted to chat to Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, two of our summer arrivals.

Although Fletcher will converse with his squad informally around Carrington, he's keen to get to know this particular pair better, as he hasn't been around the first-team set-up as much this term due to his involvement with our Under-18s.

The second part of Darren's pre-match press conference also touched upon the words he shared with compatriot and former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as his views on the scrutiny that modern United players face.

Read every word below...

Hi Darren. Obviously when you’ve picked teams in the 18s, it’s been a back four. There’s been a lot of talk about the system here, I know you don’t want to disclose team news but is it safe to say we’ll see a back four at Turf Moor?
“Well, we don’t know yet. I can’t disclose that. I think when you talk about the Under-18s, that’s a style and a system that the club feels is best for developing players. I think it’s a system we use and it’s something we use for how we set up in midfield, how we set up with defenders. I think for developing players it’s a really good formation and system and at Under-18s it’s about development, and that’s the important thing for us – when I’m leading the Under-18s, I’m trying to develop players, so you’re picking teams, you’re experimenting, you’re doing different things and challenging them and you’re playing young players so of course you try and win every football game but fundamentally you’re trying to develop players and that formation definitely suits that, so that’s the club formation we use and it’s a formation I’ve been used to playing for a long time as well.”

You said it doesn’t sit easy with you, the circumstances of taking over, which is entirely understandable. Did you speak to Ruben before he left yesterday?
“I didn’t have the chance. I’ve reached out to him, I’ve not managed to make contact with him but that’s understandable. He’s obviously got a lot on his mind and I’ve been really busy, so I’ve not had a chance to. I’d love to, because I had a good relationship with Ruben. He was great with me. He was very welcoming to me and his staff [were], at the end of last season, in terms of being the Under-18s coach, in terms of the small communication I’ve had this year, because I’ve been on the other side of the building. So always good interactions and ultimately he’s the manager who gave my son his debut as well, so as a father I’ve got a lot to thank him for, and Tyler, and although the boys have gone and earned that, ultimately he was the manager that did that so I’ve got a good relationship with Ruben. I’m disappointed, obviously for him, but what’s happened has happened I’m here to help the club and we have to move on quickly. As I said before, everything I do is for the best of the club and that’s why my full focus is on Burnley.”

Inevitable question, but have you spoken to Sir Alex since you got the role?
"I have. I don't like to make any decisions or things without speaking to Sir Alex and that's something I've done since I've been at the club and since I've left the club, in everything I do. I've got a really good relationship with Sir Alex, so he was probably the first person I phoned actually. I wanted to speak with him first. Ultimately, to get his blessing, to be perfectly honest with you. I think he deserves that respect. I wanted to run it by him, what he thought, and he was supportive of it and he echoed my thoughts, what I've always said. It's your job to do the best for Manchester United. When you're an employee of the club, it's your job to do your best for Manchester United. It's something that's amazing, when he says something I try and live and believe every day. So it was comforting, for me, for him to say that."

You were a big player here, lots of success. You’ve been here four or five years, done all these roles. In your experience, how much do you think outside scrutiny from people like us, former players, the whole circus – how does that affect players in your squad, do you think it matters?
“I think it has an effect, because it’s part of dealing with being a Manchester United player but I can only reflect on my experience as a player. It was there when I was a player. When I was a young player, I had to come into the team in a season where we finished second and it’s the end of the world. I’ve experienced that. What I look back on is, and I’m very lucky, is that we had Sir Alex, we had Roy Keane, we had the experienced players around us who protected us and helped us. Fundamentally, that’s not the case anymore, because there never will be another Sir Alex. So it is difficult, but it’s the same at every club, and this is the biggest club in the world, so that scrutiny, expectation, standard is there, and it’s something you have to deal with. You have to learn to deal with [it], you have to get help in to deal with it, but it happens naturally. Some people have to take time to get used to it, but slowly but surely they try and have to deal with it constantly. It’s the life of a footballer, it’s the modern-day world and it’s something that the players have to learn to deal with. And they will. Sometimes it takes time, sometimes people can’t and that’s just life, that’s just the way it is. My thing is that it’s there, learn to deal with it. Find a way, however best suits you, and embrace the challenge of being at Manchester United. Be excited by it, but recognise there’s a lot of scrutiny, a lot of pressure and a lot of noise.”

Just on that Darren, it’s something Ruben has mentioned a few times here and again on Sunday, about suggesting what Gary Neville says influences decisions. How difficult is it for the club to get back on its feet when that sort of thing is happening on a daily basis? Do you need bigger characters within the dressing room or do you need some of those ex-players to understand the situation and go easier?
“You can’t ask them to go easier, because they’re passionate guys and they have their opinion and they’re really good, they’re really engaging and good to listen to. I enjoy listening to them and I had years of listening to them in the dressing room and I did – I used to sit and listen to them, I used to take it all in. It’s difficult, but you have to [ignore it]. It’s winning football games that is important, winning football games, winning trophies, going on a journey. That’s life, that’s football: especially here. It’s about winning. You know, people want to win football games, people want to be entertained. People have a standard about what Manchester United is and what Manchester United expects. I think fans at Old Trafford in recent years have been amazing, if I’m honest with you. I think there’s been a few moments here and there, but in general the support the fans have given players, managers: the understanding of the situation it could have been a lot worse inside the stadium. I’ve probably experienced other stadiums where it has been a lot more pressured and hostile, so maybe the players have to deal with that [outside] noise more than the actual stadium pressure. That should help and I think the fans have been amazing in that. I’m going to sit here today and ask them to support the players, not me. Support the players and the club, because they need it, they need that help. Outside noise, ex-players, it’s difficult to deal with and it’s not easy because those players have won everything. They’ve got success behind them, they’ve got trophies, so it’s hard to criticise them back because they’ve got their medals on the table. It’s really, really difficult but again that’s what it is being a Manchester United player. Get your head around it, learn how you’re going to deal with it and embrace the challenge.”

What’s the mood been like in training the last couple of days and also have you opted to have any private conversations with players as well? I know you mentioned Bruno and Mount but is there any chance on Mainoo coming back?
“Kobbie actually did a part of the session today, but he’s going to have to be assessed tomorrow. So that was part of the plan, he’ll be assessed tomorrow. I have had conversations with players and it’s been time-consuming. I actually planned to have more conversations but yeah, maybe first time experiencing a first day as Manchester United manager, you don’t have as much time as you think. In my head I had all these plans about speaking to loads of players and it didn’t pan out that way. I had a conversation with Bruno, and that’s important because he’s the captain and I wanted to speak to him, and actually I focused on some of the players I don’t know so well, so Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. Senne Lammens I actually had a conversation with him not too long ago, but those two I focused on because I’ve not really got a relationship with them and I wanted to get to know them and I wanted them to get to know me. So the others, I know well. I’ve had a relationship with them in the past, so I focused on those two and Bruno. As gametime gets closer tomorrow, there will be some individual chats and meetings and just chatting to them in general around the canteen and around the training ground, I think it’s really important.”

Is that as much about what you expect from them or are you actually more interested in hearing what they have to say?
“A bit of everything, really. Get to know them, have a conversation, ask some questions about them and how they’re finding it, experiencing the club and how they’ve found things – just trying to get to know what I think of them as players, how they’ve been, all that sort of stuff. Just a chat really, getting to know them, trying to build the first steps of a relationship, rather than it being cold. When you know 95 per cent of the squad, and you don’t know those two, I think it’s important that I try to do that.”

How do you assess the state of mind and the confidence of the players, because it’s obviously been quite a whirlwind 48 hours for them?
“I think [with] confidence, everyone is at a different stage in confidence and that’s a really important part of football, but you see players coming back from injury who have missed games, they’re going to be in a certain state of mind. You’ve got players who are playing well, you’ve got other players who are not playing so well, so confidence is up and down. I think you can see, you know, nobody likes to see somebody lose their job. You could sense that in the building yesterday, but today you have to move on very, very quickly, and it’s important that we have a good energy going into the game. We can’t be going into the Burnley game with not a good energy. It’s important that you have to move on very, very quickly. Football is a cruel game, it’s life, it’s football, so it’s important we try to create a little bit of energy, little bit of spirit and I think we got that today and hopefully there’s more of it again tomorrow.”