Manchester United have a problem relating to the Fletcher twins, Jack and Tyler, and how to handle them this season.
Two of the most exciting prospects at Manchester United right now are Jack and Tyler Fletcher, with both debuting for the club last season.
Jack Fletcher had a poor first-team run, struggling with the physicality and pace, although he was used out of position in fairness.
Later in the season, Tyler Fletcher had some decent showings in midfield, looking far more ready for that leap.
Both were then on the first-team pre-season tour, with the Fletcher twins viewed as untouchable from loan approaches, alongside Shea Lacey.
However, the season has started, and while Lacey, JJ Gabriel and Harry Amass are getting a look in, the Fletcher twins aren’t. This is a problem for them and the club.
Manchester United should have loaned the Fletcher twins
The transfer window is now closed, and it leaves both Tyler and Jack way too good for academy football, yet nowhere near playing for the first-team.
Jack is behind Bruno Fernandes, Shea Lacey, Mason Mount, and probably JJ Gabriel right now in the number 10 role, which we saw mean Carrick pushed him to the right wing during pre-season to get him minutes.
Meanwhile, Tyler is, at best, the sixth choice in central midfield behind the Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba, and also Mason Mount.
Even with fixture congestion and a need to rotate, it is hard to picture how the two actually get any proper opportunities with the first-team.
This makes it utterly confusing why the decision was made to keep them around, when a year on loan in Scotland or the Championship would have benefited their respective developments massively.
Instead, Jacob Devaney is at Hibernian, looking stellar and will absolutely lap Tyler in first-team readiness by the time next summer rolls around.
The best thing for both would have been loans, but now they are in a weird place where academy football looks like their only route to opportunities, yet for two years, they have been too good for this level.
It isn’t ideal for either, and it therefore wouldn’t be shocking at all to see a pair of January loan moves sanctioned. Ineos will be kicking themselves that they’re both still here, as both are ready to go out and play.
Hopefully, spending too long in the academy system won’t end up impacting their development too much.
Whether the club believes in them is another question, with the pushes to sign Louis Page, one who would have directly harmed the twins, as he could play in both of their positions. While Jim Thwaites appears to have earned the admiration of Carrick far more than the two older players have managed.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/VDnhSqA