BOYLE Sports Blog | Pat Nevin Exclusive: Compatriots' Assessed

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Scotland star Pat Nevin has offered his perspective on fellow compatriots including what could be next in the career for Darren Fletcher and whether he sees Scott McTominay returning to Old Trafford in the future,

The former Everton star has some high praise for James Garner but warns him against a move away, he also gives his prediction on what lies in store for Oliver Glasner and if he could be gone before his contract expires and if Unai Emery could leave Aston Villa soon.

Nevin also assesses the appointment of Michael Carrick to Manchester United and whether he's the right man to bring back a good feeling to the club following their win over Manchester City at the weekend.

Fletcher’s Next Step

Darren Fletcher has had a lot of great roles at Manchester United. I've talked to Darren a few times in the last year or so because he's up at Scotland matches and things like that. He's a brilliant bloke, unbelievably likeable, extremely good at a lot of things. Not just management, everyone thinks you just go into management; there are loads of other big jobs in football. If I were Manchester United, even though he had been in there for a couple of weeks, I'd be trying to get him to do a job for the club, because I think his heart and soul is with that club.

But if he's desperate to become a manager, he will have to start a little bit lower than Manchester United , and probably we are talking down the divisions a wee bit, because the ones that jump in at the top are usually ones with gigantic names. He's done coaching for a long, long, long time at various places. So, in actual fact, you're looking at Frank Lampard, and yes, he had the opportunity at Chelsea , but he also knows you need to go and do the other stuff with Derby and Coventry now, if you're going to get all the way to the top.

You need to cut your teeth; you need to learn the job. It's a craft you need to learn. And I think Darren , with all the respect in the world, and I mean all the respect, he's one of my favourite individuals in football, there are a few hoops to be jumped through before you get to the big hoops, i.e., Celtic or Rangers , which I know is a suggestion that people are making that he could go there.

He's got both a Celtic and Rangers background, that is very unusual; he's got both. With Celtic , they’ve stuck a manager in who's a bit of a rookie and got stung recently. Wilfried Nancy had an absolute nightmare because it was a whirlwind. So for any young manager, jumping in at the top's not always a great idea.

McTominay Old Trafford Return

I think Michael Carrick would take him in a millisecond because Carrick is not an idiot. As a former player, you look at things, and people forget. You think, 'Why did he leave?' Of all the bizarre, stupid decisions over the last four or five years, that one takes the biscuit. It really still does take the biscuit because plenty of us were thinking...What? You mean you're getting rid of exactly the sort of player you need? What are you thinking of?

The decision-making at the acquisitions and sales level at that point in time was bizarre. Utterly, totally bizarre. It's the only word you can use for it. Okay, people like me had a bit of an advantage; we were watching him play with Scotland, so we were watching him, and we knew what he could do. But United were watching him in training every day.

Carrick would know that and know his capabilities. Have a look at him at the moment. It's not a flash in the pan. This is who he is. This is who Scott is. This is what he can be. And looking around, the fact that he's capable of playing in the English league, if you play him in his right position, he'd be far, far, far better now.

I think Michael would take him. The other big thing about it is, you buy Scott , and he's one of those few where you're buying three players. You're getting a 10, you're getting a six, you're getting an eight, you're getting somebody who could even be a centre-back. And by the way, he'll do it without complaining. So would Carrick take him back? In a second.

Would McTominay Returning Make Sense?

Yes, he's a great player who understands the club

No, he was sold for a reason, he isn't good enough

Could Garner Return?

Anytime anyone has a good time at Everton , they'll get linked elsewhere, which I never like. Look at Iliman Ndiaye. I think he's good enough to play for Man City or anybody. I think he's that quality. He's absolutely fabulous. Is Garner next to make a move? I don't know. I think he's better suited to where he is. There are some players that you just think you're the right man for the right space there. You can walk away from that and make it ugly.

I think, oddly enough, he's one of those strange ones. I think, don't take that next step up to another club, to a big club, because you might find yourself not playing. There's politics, there's other things. Because you're not the fancy, flashy one, you're the one that suffers. A classic example is comparing him to Scott McTominay , because Scott was always a very good player. But because you had Cristiano Ronaldo , because you had Bruno Fernandes there, everyone kind of liked him but overlooked him.

You're the number one scapegoat. So I would say, Everton is a great place for him, and I think he should stay there.

Glasner’s Next Step

You know, here's an odd thing. Why has no one said the phrase, ‘ Glasner to Spurs ?’ I don't know why no one said it yet. I'm thinking, "'Have I missed something here?’ Because he's speaking like he could go, if pushed, at any moment. I'm devastated for Thomas Frank because I think the vast majority of football people want Thomas to do well because they like him. But the Glasner one's interesting. He's basically pointing at the board and telling everybody else to look at you as a board member instead of him.

I've been an executive before. I know how others think. I didn't think like that, but I know how others think. The first thing they say as soon as they get pointed at by the manager and then the media turn on them, and then the fans turn on them, is to get rid of the manager. That's what they do. Full stop. Never different. Never, ever different. I don't know why he's done it. I don't know if he calculated it. Was it anger? But when you do that, it's close to a sacrilege.

The other thing on top of it, I would say, which is really quite interesting, is how bad is it is going to look for Glasner if he stays? They don't reinvest. And his stock was so high after winning the cup, developing the team, and challenging towards the top six for a while. What if they plummet now?

What if the last few months between now and the end of the season is terrible? Will people say, ‘Oh well, it's nothing to do with Glasner .’ They won’t say that, of course, they will blame him. He's not stupid, and he knows this. So, at the moment, he feels abandoned, and he feels like the players have been abandoned because you've not got backup. It's an interesting one. He might survive, but if I had to put money on it, it's not going to be for long.

Will Oliver Glasner Be In The Premier League Next Season?

Yes, he will find a job

No, he will go elsewhere

Will Emery Leave Next?

Everybody knows where the lines are. Ruben Amorim stepped over the line. Now, in retrospect, people say, 'Yeah, his results weren't good enough, and we didn't like the football.' That's not why he was sacked. He was sacked because he turned on the board. The day after he turned on them, he was gone. Remember, he got them into fifth place. He wasn't going to be sacked until he turned on them. So you have to always keep that in view. What I think we're in the midst of just now, which I think most people know, is that there's a power battle.

There's a power battle between club owners, executives, and the old school managers who once held sway, and there's a control battle. And the vast majority of boards, owners and executives now don't like the level of control the managers want. It's a real shame, though, because if you're accountable for something but have no authority to do anything about it, it's a disaster for you as a manager. So you're accountable for everything that goes wrong, even when it isn’t your fault.

You have no authority to change it, or not enough authority to change it. It's a disaster. That's the manager's position just now. Upstairs, they want the authority to do everything and meddle everywhere, but not have the accountability to be sacked if it goes wrong. That's it in a nutshell. And you can see it in many clubs now. And I often talk about the phrase 'managing up'. And again, I've been in every position in the game, just about, apart from a manager, which I never wanted to do.

Managing up has never been harder, because most people you're managing up to are a group of people who think they know more than you...about your specialism! The people who are working with the data think they know more, the people who are working in the video control centres are the same, the people that are working upstairs, who are businessmen who always think they know more than everybody else.

That's something that is a massive change we are currently experiencing. We now have a power dynamic shift. Everyone else is having one, too, but we generally know where the lines are. As soon as you step over the line, another phrase I use is one I think the boards often feel, 'You're not the most important thing at the club, you're just the hired help. And we can get rid of you and hire somebody else in a heartbeat. The key is, okay, you stay on the right side of the comments about the club workings its fine, but if you step over that line, you’re gone.

Carrick’s Impact: Bringing Back Good Vibes

Man Utd could’ve scored six against Man City. That's unthinkable. There was a confidence bordering on arrogance as the game went on, believing in what they were being asked to do. I mean, they do turn up for the big ones. I heard a certain chap from Oasis talking before the game, and he was saying, ‘Yeah, United can get themselves up for certain ones: Man City and Liverpool .’ And they kind of can, can't they?

But I don't think it was just that. I think it was something better than that. I think it was a real belief within the group at the freedom they were given. And I think now, in retrospect, you look at Ruben Amorim , he was very prescriptive of what was expected from his players. As a player, you're part of the team, and you do it. You do what you're asked to do to some degree. You're not happy about it, but you can't complain. You need to get on with it because you're part of a team.

But seeing a manager that's that prescriptive and tells you what to do in every single position at every single moment, deep down inside you think, ‘You don't trust me. You don't believe in me. You don’t rate me. Whereas in there, a new manager walks in and says, ‘Right lads, you're a player, go and play, Bruno , you're a 10. Go and create. Go and spend your time getting in the right areas.’ It’s brilliant, and you are lifted by it.

Was Carrick The Correct Interim Choice?

Yes, he knows the club

No, the club should've went for more experience

Bruno’s movement and run for the first goal was genius. I don't think people realise how good that was. The minute you get a three-on-two, and you make a mess of it, you feel terrible, but it often happens with the final pass. But because of his genius, he moved slightly to the right before they played the final pass perfectly after running 60 yards, and it just sent the whole defence, and it created the goal.

That's where he is. That's where he's great. Don't play him as a sitting midfielder or a deeper one. So in reality, I think it's something more than just lifting themselves for a big game. And right now, and I know it's early, I wouldn't be surprised if Carrick stays after the end of the season. He will stay if they get into the top four. I don't have any doubt about that. He will stay. And there are a variety of reasons for it, but I just look at the stuff he's got now. Steve Holland , seriously, you've got one to watch there, he is quality.

When you get him on board, then it is good. And it just looks like a great group that understands the club, has good technical knowledge, and fantastic experience. Middlesbrough under Carrick , it wasn't just playing well. It was playing excitingly and playing well. That is a description of who Manchester United fans think they are. So, oddly, I think, great start. It may or may not work. If I had to put my money down and bet on it now, I think it's going to work. And I would go so far as to say I think he'll be the manager next season.