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Darren Fletcher can make Premier League history with sons in Man United squad

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Darren Fletcher can make Premier League history with sons in Man United squad

Darren Fletcher has an opportunity to make a unique piece of Premier League history when he takes charge of Manchester United on Wednesday.

United have turned to their under-18 manager Fletcher to temporarily replace Ruben Amorim, who was sacked.

Fletcher’s short-term appointment means that he will be in charge of not one but two of his sons, Jack Fletcher and Tyler Fletcher, who are part of United’s first-team squad amid a sea of injuries and AFCON exits.

Jack and Tyler, who are 18-year-old twins, were both on the bench for the draw away at Leeds, Amorim’s final game in charge of the club, and are now faced with the novelty of being available for selection under their father.

They would be the first brothers to both play under their father’s management, if they each make an appearance against Burnley.

– Ruben Amorim sacked as Man United manager
– Amorim calls out Man United bosses: ‘Do your jobs’
– Amorim wants control at United, but his outburst could cost him his job

Will Fletcher play either of his sons?

Jack Fletcher, a midfielder, made his United debut against Aston Villa as a substitute on Dec. 21. He then also came off the bench on Boxing Day against Newcastle, then against Wolves too.

Tyler, however, is yet to make a first-team debut. He is also a midfielder.

United started their previous match with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in central midfield. Amorim brought on only one substitute, forward Joshua Zirkzee, in his last game.

Interestingly, the Fletcher family aren’t the only father-son[s] combination in the history of the Premier League, ESPN takes a look at some of the other famous family connections…

Jamie and Harry Redknapp

It was the second time Harry managed his son Jamie, but the first time in the Premier League. Previously, they worked together at Bournemouth in 1989 — when Jamie was just 16. However, they reunited on the south coast in January 2005 when Jamie signed for Southampton on a free transfer, becoming his father’s first signing at the club.

Jamie made 17 total appearances (16 in the Premier League and 1 in the FA Cup) before retiring at the end of the season citing persistent knee injuries.

Nigel and Brian Clough

Brian Clough managed his son, Nigel, throughout Nigel’s first spell as a player at Nottingham Forest from 1984 to 1993. During this period, Nigel made over 400 appearances and scored 131 goals under his father’s management. Together, they also won the Football League Cup in both 1989 and 1990.

Nigel also featured for England, securing 14 caps — all of which were earned during his time at Forest under his father. Nigel would later follow his famous father into management too, where he’d coach Derby County and Burton Albion amongst others.

Darren and Sir Alex Ferguson

Darren was handed his Manchester United debut by Sir Alex and went on to make 30 appearances across four years at the club. One of his longest stints in the team came when captain Bryan Robson suffered injury, resulting in Darren making 15 appearances for United in 1992-1993. As a result of making 10 appearances, Darren qualified for a Premier League winners medal that season.

He later moved on to Wolverhampton Wanderers and has since said that playing under his father at United was a difficult period.

Gavin and Gordon Strachan

Gavin played under his father at Coventry City, but those his appearances were limited. Of the 13 appearances he made during the period, 11 of them were as a substitute. He stayed at Coventry after their relegation in 2001 and left shortly after his father stepped down as manager in late 2001.

Gavin stayed in the game and went into coaching, most notably spending time as first team coach with Celtic. Interestingly, he also had a spell as assistant manager to Darren Ferguson on two occasions.

Alex and Steve Bruce

It wasn’t just the once for the Bruce’s. Alex Bruce played a total of 116 competitive games under the management of his father, Steve Bruce, across two different clubs. Alex first played under his father when he joined Birmingham in 2005 and then again at Hull City in July 2012. Alex played a key role for Hull as they secured promotions to the Premier League and reached the 2014 FA Cup Final.

The bond extended off the pitch and in the dugout too. After retiring as a player, Alex joined his father’s coaching staff at West Bromwich Albion in 2022, continuing their professional association.

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PCB chief vows to make Multan Sultans profitable by next year

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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PCB chief vows to make Multan Sultans profitable by next year

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi (centre) speaks during a press conference after the PSL Auction at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad on January 8, 2026. — PSL

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday said the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) “loss-hit” franchise Multan Sultans would turn a profitable team ahead of next year’s auction.

Addressing a star-studded ceremony for the auction of the seventh and eighth PSL franchises, the PCB chairman said: “I took a challenge, and that is that there were a lot of claims on social media that the team was in losses.”

“So I, and all of the team, decided that we will show you how much profit this business offers, publish the numbers before going for the auction,” Naqvi added.

The PCB chairman Naqvi, alongside new team owners Fawad Sarwar and Hamza Majeed, and PSL CEO Salman Naseer, reiterated that the cricket board will run the affairs of Sultan in the upcoming PSL 11 before auctioning it.

He acknowledged receiving suggestions about auctioning the franchise alongside the two new teams sold earlier today, but revealed he took a challenge for himself and his team to prove the business as profitable.

“The pressure has started to be built up on me to sell out the team,” he said humorously, while referring to Naseer.

“But my wish is to operate Multan Sultans for one year, and I’m very much hopeful that we would leave it in profit so the world gets to know that it’s a plus-plus business.”

It is pertinent to mention here that PSL expanded to eight teams as Hyderabad and Sialkot were officially confirmed as the league’s seventh and eighth franchises, respectively, following the completion of the expansion auction.

The OZ Developers, owned by Hamza Majeed, secured the ownership of the eighth PSL team with a bid of Rs1.85 billion and named it after Sialkot in the second round of the highly anticipated auction.

The base price for the eighth PSL team was set at Rs1.70 billion after the FKS Group acquired the ownership of the first franchise up for sale for Rs1.75 billion.

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Sports trivia quiz: Test your knowledge with our weekly game

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4 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Test your knowledge with our weekly game. How many of our eight questions can you get right?

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AJ Dybantsa, more freshmen headline men’s Wooden Award midseason top 25

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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AJ Dybantsa, more freshmen headline men’s Wooden Award midseason top 25

Jeff BorzelloJan 7, 2026, 06:30 PM ET
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Nine freshmen, led by Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, headline the men’s Wooden Award midseason top 25 watchlist released Wednesday.

Boozer leads the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game, with Dybantsa just behind him at 23.1 per game. Boozer has been arguably the most consistent player in college basketball since the start of the season, scoring at least 14 points in every game and tallying seven double-doubles to lead Duke to a 14-1 start. The 6-foot-9 forward is also averaging 9.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Dybantsa, meanwhile, recently put together one of the most impressive stretches ever by a freshman. In the month of December, he averaged 27.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals, shooting nearly 66% from the field.

North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson isn’t far behind the two stars, averaging 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds with 10 double-doubles in his first 15 games.

The midseason list also included two talented freshmen with lingering injury issues. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has played in only six games this season because of a hamstring injury, although he has started the Jayhawks’ past two games and had 32 points in 32 minutes Tuesday against TCU. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. has sat out five games in a row because of a lower-back injury.

Those five freshmen made up the top five in ESPN’s latest 2026 NBA draft big board.

There also are a number of college veterans poised to make a second-half run at the award. Purdue’s Braden Smith entered the season as the favorite thanks to his status as an All-American last season and the top player on the AP’s preseason No. 1 team. He leads the nation in assists, averaging 9.6 entering the week, setting the Big Ten career record earlier this month. Should he maintain that average, Smith would be on pace to set the all-time Division I career assists record (1,076) held by Bobby Hurley.

Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg have emerged as legitimate contenders for the award after an outstanding first two months of the season. Jefferson is the anchor for a 14-0 Cyclones team, averaging 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Lendeborg, a former UAB transfer, leads the No. 2 Wolverines in scoring (14.7) and is second in rebounding (7.0) and assists (3.4).

Players not on Wednesday’s watchlist are still eligible for the late-season list and the final ballot whose voting determines the winner.