Manchester United: Darren Fletcher has asked for Sir Alex Ferguson’s blessing to take over as interim manager

One of Amorim’s scathing remarks during his rant at Leeds was his belief that senior officials at Old Trafford were paying too much attention to the comments of pundits, most notably former captain Gary Neville.

Fletcher shared a dressing room with most of them and still considers them friends.

As someone who was heavily criticized when he broke into United’s squad two decades ago, he feels this is something the current squad will have to live with.

“You can’t ask them to have it any easier [on us] “Because they are passionate guys, they have the right to their opinions and they are really good,” he said.

“They’re engaging. They’re good to listen to. I enjoy listening to them. I spent years listening to them in the dressing room and I’m used to sitting back and enjoying everything.

“It’s hard to deal with the outside noise because these players have won everything.

“They have success behind them and they have won trophies. It is difficult to criticize them because they have their medals on the table.

“But that’s what being a Manchester United player is. Think about it, learn how you deal with it, and accept the challenge.”

Fletcher says the lack of free time since taking charge has meant he has not had the opportunity to speak to his team one-on-one.

Instead, he limited his conversations to captain Bruno Fernandes and the new senior players. Fletcher met with Matthews Cunha and Benjamin Sisko this week, after speaking to goalkeeper Signe Lammens last week. Brian Mbeumo, United’s other big summer signing, did not have the opportunity to speak to Fletcher while he was at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.

There has also been no conversation with Amorim, who gave Fletcher’s son Jack his debut last month and put his other twin Tyler on the bench for United’s past three matches.

“I’ve reached out to him but haven’t been able to get back to him yet, which is understandable. He obviously had a lot on his mind and I was really busy,” Fletcher said.

“I would love to because I had a good relationship with Robin and he was great with me.

“But it’s important to progress very quickly. Football is a tough game, so it’s important that we try to create a little bit of energy and a little bit of spirit. Hopefully there will be more of it again tomorrow.”