West Brom former captain lined up for ‘major Man United role’
West Brom will be desperate to realise their dream of returning to the Premier League this season.
The Baggies have spent six of the last seven seasons consigned to playing Championship football, despite having spent eight consecutive years in the top flight before that.
There is now genuine hope that Ryan Mason could be the man to lead West Brom back to the promised land, as the former Tottenham academy coach begins to prepare his squad for a likely promotion push next term.
A man who captained the West Midlands outfit during their Premier League days now seems set to take on a major role at Manchester United.
Darren Fletcher is in line to become Man United’s U18 coach
The West Brom job is Mason’s first as a permanent boss in senior football, and the academy coaching route that he has taken is becoming an increasingly well-trodden path for managers in the Football League.
Young coaches are almost as highly sought after as young players are in today’s game, and there is seemingly an increasing appetite for ex-players to move into coaching.
One man who looks as if he could be about to make the step into coaching is Darren Fletcher.
The Scotsman is currently understood to be the frontrunner to take charge of Manchester United’s U18s side next season, according to Centre Devils (28 June).
Fletcher left Old Trafford to move to The Hawthorns in 2015, where he became West Brom’s captain during his two-year spell.
| Apps | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| 97 | 95 | 6 | 6 |
He has recently served as a technical coach at United, linking between the first-team and the academy, but now he looks set for a managerial role instead.
West Brom’s summer is gathering pace
The Baggies have endured a fairly slow start to their summer business, with Nat Phillips the only arrival so far.
However, things now look to be shifting up a few gears in B71. West Brom are thought to be ready to make an offer for Charlie Kelman after his prolific season in League One last time out.
They have also been mooted for moves for the likes of Will Lankshear and Barry Bannan, while they continue to await an outcome from their contract offer to Lawrence Shankland.
Mason will be keen to strengthen his hand as much as possible before his first competitive assignment in August, and there will surely be plenty more additions to come at West Brom soon.
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