Darren Fletcher has revealed that before signing his latest contract at the club, he was tempted to move away from Manchester United after getting limited time on the pitch.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been a big fan of the midfielder long before the rest of us caught on, convinced him to stay after promising him more playing time, not more money.
Since then, he has decided that he wants to stay at United for the rest of his career.
“I was still having doubts because I was in a fairly strong position with only a year left to run on my contract,” said Fletcher. “But the manager came to me. The contract talk was put to one side and our discussion was mainly about playing time. Ferguson said there had been offers but he didn’t want me to go. Deep down I just wanted to show what I was capable of. That is what drove me on and what I want to keep maintaining now because I want to be here for the rest of my career and leave some sort of mark on the club.”
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dear sir alex
dust off the bobby charlton contract for fletch and rooney
Keep improving Fletch and hope we batter the Hammers today.
Fucking Legend. Simple as.
All you need is a blast from keano to up your game, darren fletcher football genius.
He will be crucial to our title run in. Football genius.
I hope AIG hasn’t quit the site and he will come here during the game.
I hope that he can have a quiet chat with Anderson whose career seems to be like a replay of Fletcherinho’s: great promise, plagued by injuries, inconsistent performances, and frustration BEFORE becoming one of the foundations of the team and an automatic first-choice for big games.
The criticisms of Fletcherinho were mostly idiotic – just like the criticisms of Nani. Very, very few players get it when they are 21 or 22; most require some sort of “seasoning” when it comes to playing at the very top-level. And getting to the very top level isn’t a question of skill or ability, it’s almost always about consistency and self-belief – that’s why CR and WayneRooney were so successful at such young ages: they are fired by a passionate belief in their ability. You have to believe that the manager and his staff see these guys every day at Carrington and you have to hope that they “know best” – 11 EPL titles in 17 years certainly suggests that this is the case.
DF24! Football genius! Awesome playa he is
Costas – i’ve just emailed him.
@Corea
Good idea. I hope it works.
Nice picture of Fletcher and Rooney. Those two boys are the heart and soul of this great club.
I love Fletch but he could use some time in the gym. He’s just a little weedy for a midfield enforcer. You come up against a guy with no neck like Essien and you wish you were packing a tranq gun.
No surprises with this one, Fletcher bleeds United. I think he’ll benefit from a consistent Midfield and Defence next season, so he can get on with his Job withour putting out fires elsewhere on the pitch. He’s been very unselfish this season, and he’s handled the extra responsibility like a true Pro, but you can still see our problem with player availability has effected his game. Fletcher focused 100% on his own game will be a sight to behold next season. I look forward to seeing him forge a solid partnership with Ando in the middle of the park. We could have our new Keane and Ince with these two.
Well put Denton Davey. Youth needs time. In my case it took about 60 years before I hit my peak. Downhill all the way now sadly.
@ manchuchu, so according to you Ando is ‘fat’ and happen to think Fletch is ‘weedy’. Can I just point out that they are footballers, not models.
Anyway, Fletcher has already made a mark on the club. A great team player, and without him our midfield suffers. He was the only player who has started this season in top form, alongside Evra. No other manager would have kept Fletcher when he used to be, quite frankly, shit; even though he wanted out. The great wisdom in Fergie made him believe in Fletch and he gave him exactly what he wanted to then become one of the most important players in our team. He should be made captain, possibly when Rio retires.
Quality, Sir Alex has to take a lot of plaudits for not allowing the supporters (myself included) to intimidate his into allowing Fletch to leave.
I cannot think of a player that has changed so many peoples opinions so much, you would have struggled to find one Fletcher supporter a few years back now we all laud him!
Keep up the good work Fletch.
In Fergie We Trust
Well bchilds, I was that one supporter who believed in Fletcher from the beginning. Paul Scholes was another, as revealed in comments after the FA Cup Semi v Arsenal in 2004. One reason for keeping the faith was the way he hauled a mediocre Scotland into contention on numerous occasions. It needs saying over and over, young players need time.
i hated him around 3 years ago. Ever since he scored vs chelsea he has been improved and now hes a starter. legend
I’ve always stood buy Fletcher, credit to anyone who owns up to hating him because a lot of people did and were proven wrong. He was very young at the time people had a go at him. You have to give young players a chance. For me older players get a free ride at times when younger players like Gibson etc get the flack. If the team is playing badly the main players should be criticised. Great news if he signs a new deal as Fletch is getting better and better.