On the day of United’s first pre-season game against Celtic, Darren Fletcher spoke out in praise of Dimitar Berbatov, hailing him as a great player and an important component of our squad.

“Dimitar is a great player,” he said. “He has fantastic ability. I cannot see him going anywhere. He is an important part of the team. It is a squad game at Manchester United and he is an important part of that squad. He is a really good guy. I get on well with him. He is a great lad to have around the squad.”

Hours later, Dimitar Berbatov scored the opening goal against Celtic, following some great play from Obertan and Diouf, before selflessly setting up Welbeck for the second with a clever pass, then finally back-heeling the ball to Cleverley to claim our third.

Yes, it’s only the pre-season, but we weren’t playing against some Far East unknowns. Whilst Celtic haven’t had their greatest season, they are still in the same position as Spurs and Arsenal where Champions League football is concerned this season, on top of the fact they regularly compete in Europe’s top competition.

There’s no need to get carried away but it is good for Berbatov’s confidence to put in a good shift and we can all hope this continues on to when the proper season starts.