Ruben Amorim soothed fans’ concerns recently by debuting Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher, but now it’s time to put them in the best position to succeed.
Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher debuted vs Aston Villa in difficult circumstances but managed to come out of it with their stock unharmed.
Lacey didn’t play any minutes in the following game against Newcastle, but Fletcher came off the bench at half-time in a big statement of confidence from Ruben Amorim.
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Fletcher admitted that he found the tempo of the game to be too intense, but he will be better off from the experience, especially if Amorim finally unleashes him in his ideal position against Wolves.
Jack Fletcher’s trial by fire in Premier League
Amidst social media’s urgency to declare verdicts on players, the larger narrative regularly gets ignored.
The same happened to Fletcher after the Newcastle game, where certain people declared him unfit to play for United.
It doesn’t do justice to him, because in both his appearances so far, he has been tasked with a job that is far from his best skill set.
Fletcher is a prolific attacking midfielder who is more like a left-footed Mason Mount, but he has been asked to play effectively as a left-footed Bruno Fernandes in this setup.
United prepared for this to some extent by deploying him at left-back in some outings for the academy, but the Premier League is different gravy.
Playing raking passes from deep and shuffling about to track half-space runners is not where he excels, which has made him look far worse than his ability suggests.
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His performance against Manchester City has been really impressive…
He has still handled himself admirably, which speaks volumes about his application and mentality, but the time to unleash him in the best way has come.
Fletcher must be unleashed in an attacking role vs Wolves
If there was ever a game to help Fletcher feel confident in himself, it’s a home tie against a team on track to become the worst-ever side in Premier League history.
With all due respect to Wolves, it’s a game United absolutely have to win, but they might have to do so with caution.
Mason Mount came off at half-time vs Newcastle for Fletcher, but his role remained more defensive than offensive, which should change vs Wolves.
He should play as the right-sided No. 10 against Wolves, especially now that Manuel Ugarte has minutes in his legs to play CDM, along with the returns of Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.
Even Ayden Heaven can deputise as a defensive midfielder, which frees Fletcher up to do what he does best – make ghosting runs into the box as a shadow striker and cause havoc.
After a two-game trial by fire that tested his defensive fundamentals, he should be rewarded with an attacking spot, which allowed him to first get noticed at United.
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