Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher clarifies technical director role and addresses set-piece criticism

Darren Fletcher insists his presence in the Manchester United dugout is a consequence of the 'transition process' after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as manager in November.

Fletcher's role as technical director has been questioned due to his matchday role in assisting interim manager Ralf Rangnick, a duty not synonymous with technical directors.

During Solskjaer's last match as manager in the 4-1 defeat at Watford, Fletcher was in the dugout and passing on tactical instructions, which was raised by a supporter on the last fans' forum in December.

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Solskjaer was dismissed the following day and Michael Carrick left after a 10-day stint as caretaker manager on December 1. Fellow first-team coach Kieran McKenna then accepted the job of Ipswich Town manager in mid-December and was joined by Martyn Pert.

Fletcher was appointed technical director in March but still assisted in training sessions at Carrington but the Scot has attributed his new responsibilities to the exodus of coaches. “With Ralf and his staff coming in, and Michael and Kieran choosing to move on, we had a quick transition process, so part of my role has been to assist with that, both on the training pitch and during games," Fletcher told the fans' forum.

"I guess that’s been the most visible part for me this season, but that’s really an addition to my overall technical director role.

"Probably the key part of the role is taking a holistic view of the path for players from our academy to our first-team. That pipeline of academy talent is a massive part of who we are as a club.

"Anthony [Elanga] has done brilliantly since he broke into the first team, and Hannibal Mejbri has also been more involved in the