West Brom legend Ally Robertson was one of several fans who wanted Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher as the new manager before Frenchman Valerien Ismael took the job this summer. Robertson backed a rookie manager like Darren Fletcher in a recent interview with Express and Star shortly before Ismael was given the job by club owner Guochuan Lai.
37-year-old Darren Fletcher was well respected among his peers during a career that took him to three clubs namely Manchester United, Stoke City and West Brom. Robertson said he would have gone long-term with the appointment of a new Baggies manager as he backed Darren Fletcher for the job but owner Lai had other ideas. The Baggies supremo went for a safe bet in Ismael as he hopes the Frenchman can lead the club back to the Premier League after just one season.
New Baggies boss Ismael did a good job at Barnsley whom he led to the playoffs before they were beaten by Welsh team Swansea City over two legs.
For Darren Fletcher, his long-term target is a managerial career though he’s satisfied with his current role as the technical director at Premier League giants Manchester United whom he played for under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson for several years. He made 342 appearances for Manchester United before leaving to join West Brom whom he represented 97 times. Darren Fletcher joined Stoke City from West Brom and it was at the Bet365 Stadium that he hung up his boots in 2019. In total, he played 481 times as a professional footballer.