Fletcher denies talk of exit
United midfielder vows to fight for place
Last updated: 16th January 2008
Fletcher: Looking to stay at Old Trafford
I am still happy playing for Manchester United and I am not thinking of going elsewhere.
Darren Fletcher
Quotes of the week
Related links
Teams
Players
Also see
Darren Fletcher insists he has no intention of leaving Manchester United.
Saturday's late run-out against Newcastle was only the Scotland international's 15th appearance of the season, nine of which have been as substitute.
Indeed, Fletcher has started twice as many games in the Champions League this term than he has in the Barclays Premier League leading to speculation over his future.
However, it seems any move to prise Fletcher away from Old Trafford will fail.
For, while the player admits he is frustrated at his lack of opportunities, it does not translate into a desire to quit the Red Devils.
"I am still happy playing for Manchester United and I am not thinking of going elsewhere," he said.
"I never heard anything about Birmingham being interested, I just know I want to be here for a long time.
"My only focus is on being ready when the manager needs me and being able to perform for the club when asked."
Impressive
The Scot has no complaints about his frequent absences, admitting Anderson's impressive form has made it extremely difficult for Sir Alex Ferguson to leave the South American out.
"It is frustrating because any player wants to play," he said.
"But basically, it has been down to the form of the midfield. Fair play to Anderson, when Paul Scholes got injured, he came in and has been in great form.
"The manager has stuck by him, which is what he does when you perform well, and has had a run in the team.
"We will see how things pan out at the end of the season in terms of games played and what you have contributed to the squad. But I am not thinking about that just now.
"I am just looking to the short term, and I would like to win a few trophies and hopefully go a few steps further than last year."
Sorry, we can not display forthcoming fixtures at this time.
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 11th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 1 - 1 Bolton | |
| Tottenham 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Wigan 0 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Birmingham 4 - 1 Blackburn | |
| Derby 0 - 4 Reading | |
| West Ham 2 - 2 Aston Villa | |
| Middlesbrough 8 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Portsmouth 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Sunderland 0 - 1 Arsenal | |
| Monday 5th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Sunday 4th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton | |
| Liverpool 1 - 0 Man City | |
| Saturday 3rd May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 4 - 1 West Ham | |
| Aston Villa 0 - 2 Wigan | |
| Blackburn 3 - 1 Derby | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Bolton 2 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Fulham 2 - 0 Birmingham | |
| Reading 0 - 1 Tottenham | |
Premier League Top 6
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 87 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 38 | 85 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 38 | 83 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 76 |
| 5 | Everton | 38 | 65 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 60 |
Features
Topical Top Ten
Flick through our lists of star players and big games. This week we feature the best FA Cup final goals.
Pompey's campaign
Pictures of Portsmouth's route to the FA Cup final including a famous win over Man Utd.
Year of the underdog
We reflect on an FA Cup that has been the most unpredictable for a century.
Experts & Blogs
Latest Premier League News
Davis eyes double celebration
Rangers' Steven Davis is "delighted" Fulham stayed up - and wants to end his season on a high.
Flamini: Gunners missed chance
Mathieu Flamini says he would still be an Arsenal player had they offered him a contract last summer.
O'Neill keen to keep Bouma
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill hopes to persuade Wilfred Bouma to sign a new contract.
Trotters to release trio
Bolton have not offered new deals to Ivan Campo, Stelios Giannakopoulos and Andranik Teymourian.
Eriksson in Mexico link
Reports in South America say Sven Goran Eriksson has agreed to become the next coach of Mexico.
Comments
L r d L r d says...
Time to get rid of Fletcher, there is no need for him at Man Utd. Scholes has been out for awhile and he still doesn't get near the 1st team in near enough every game baring a few exceptions. If we could get 6 million for him we would be doing well. I don't think we even need a replacement, the cm position is full right now, and when it changes we can bring in a genuine quality player, not an above average hard working player, who always had age on his side, and often an excuse or used as a hope of promise he will imrpove....well he hasnt improved enough. If he was at another team we certainly wouldn't be looking to buy him. Hard working not overly gifted players, such as alan smith dirk kuyt darrn fletcher don't belong at a club like man utd. so deal with that
Posted 03:15 18th January 2008
Harrison Wandu (Manchester United fan) says...
Fletcher is needed in the team like any other. His contribution is massive.
Posted 07:06 17th January 2008
Kartik Sridhar (Manchester United fan) says...
Well said Ash Jarman !! You support a club and not a player ! When beckham left , i didnt regret one bit cos we had Ronaldo coming !! Iv been a Red-devil all my life and will continue to do so !! Agreed that Fletcher doesnt get as many first team opportunities like the others do but when called upon, he has never failed to put up less than a 110% !! You cant have all Rooneys and Ronaldos in your team. You also need hardworking midfielders like Darren who take great pride in playing for Man Utd. He may not have the flair or skill of either a Rooney or a Ronaldo , but he has the passion ..something that you require when you play for Man Utd. He wears his heart on his sleeve ! For all those who are here to criticize Fletcher , dont forget that he was your best Man out in the middle when we palyed AC Milan in the semis last time out. He was one man whom you could never fault. You do have to remember that there will be days when your stars will fail and on such days you would need players like Fletcher. He is at the right club and as a red-devil i would like to see him remain at Old Trafford.
Posted 04:27 17th January 2008
James Mcg (Manchester United fan) says...
I agree completely with Ash on this one. Fletcher is probably the most commited player to our club at the moment. Never hear about him moaning at his lack of chances but when he does he plays out his skin. We need to hold on to Fletch, his Champions League and Premiership experience is vital to us for when it comes down to the wire. He knows what its like to be in the Champions League Semi-Finals or on the last day of the season needing a win to gain the league title. That kind of pressure has never been on the likes of Nani or Andersons shoulders so there is no way of knowing how they would cope with it. United fans need to stand by every player we have and encourage them as much as possible. None of this negative talk about certain players. In the end Fergie is the man who makes the final decision and he won't be pushed into a decision by any amount of fans who think differently. Come on Fletch!
Posted 02:27 17th January 2008
Marcus Coatsworth (Manchester United fan) says...
Fletcher is the newest member of the Phil Neville calibre. If he stays good, if he goes even better!
Posted 01:59 17th January 2008
D O'mahony (Manchester United fan) says...
Fletcher might not have become quite the player Ferguson thought he would but he has commitment and passion. Heinze was adored by United fans, but the minute he was dropped he wanted out. To liverpool of all teams. How many Premiership "Superstars" have the balls to fight for a place?? Fletchers not good enough for the First team but Id stil prefer to have some commitment somewhere in my squad.
Posted 22:13 16th January 2008
Ash Jarman (Manchester United fan) says...
I have been a Man U fan all my life and know our history inside out. Where I can understand the frustration of some fans about what exactly Fletcher is here for, he is as committed as any first team regular and as he said he gives 100% when called upon. Obviously as he doesn't get enough games to keep his good form he is prone to mistakes, but you have to give him credit for the way he recovers. Take Saha, always injured so doesn't get the games to keep his form but when he makes a mistake he NEVER recovers or tries to rectify it but that just how he is. Darren Fletcher is in an uneviable position of being a footballer who doesn't get the games, but he understands his job and that is to perform when needed, does he grumble? does he moan? No... He is a true Red Devil and I'm proud to have him on the team... When and if Sir Alex decides he is surplus to requirements then I'm sure he will let him go on to better things but for now he's happy so respect that. And yes I can also understand the frustration at his limited appearances from an International point of view... All I can say is sorry Scotland but if you can find someone better than Fletcher then pick them instead but at the moment, it is what it is... And to all you so called Man U supporters out there who are just completely cuttin the guy off, you should all be ashamed of yourselves, you're the reason us real fans get so much stick for not being real supporters... You support your TEAM... not your favourite players... Man United used to be like a family we worked together to get the right results... we got behind our team and pushed them harder... Now you buy a knock off shirt from ebay, don't even bother to sing at home matches and then grumble down the pub when we drop points... What happened eh?? One word FAMILY now start acting like one!!
Posted 10:51 16th January 2008
Phil Mcgroovy (Manchester United fan) says...
How inconsiderate of him!!!! Surely he should at least consider a move away - in fact he should count his eternal blessings that a Premiership club is even interested in him. I can't understand Fergie's reluctance to get rid of him - he soon realised Kleberson & Co's limitations and shipped them off! Maybe the rumours about him being his love child are true! People praising him on not moaning should be realistic - if I was picking up £30k per week at a Premier League club when really I should be slugging out in the Coca Cola leagues - I think I would keep quiet!!!
Posted 10:40 16th January 2008
Steve Smith (Manchester United fan) says...
Fletcher is a hard working player but I don't feel he will ever make it at Old Trafford because he is behind in the midfield pecking order with the likes of Anderson who has been a superb signing, Carrick, Hargreaves and Scholes. He would benefit by joining another club like Kieran Richardson has done.
Posted 10:22 16th January 2008
Gary Bratby (Birmingham City fan) says...
Fletcher is the midfielder we need. we are lacking someone who will get in the box from that area. Sign him up.
Posted 10:14 16th January 2008
David Mc donough (Manchester United fan) says...
i think United should hold on to Fletcher, he is a great player to have as backup in midfield, while he wont push the main guys for a place he will be there when we need him or to help give the others a rest, the bigger the squad the better
Posted 09:14 16th January 2008
Simon T (Manchester United fan) says...
Fletcher has not matured into the player we all thought (hoped)he would become. He is not strong enough on the ball and is prone to the frequent bad pass. He brings nothing to the team. Time to cut him loose in my opinion.
Posted 08:49 16th January 2008
Kev Scott (Partick Thistle fan) says...
Fair enough he is not moaning but its not really helping him develop as a player just sitting around collecting paychecks. From a Scotland point of view we want him playing regular competitive football.
Posted 08:48 16th January 2008
Lee Doughty (Manchester United fan) says...
Although Darren Fletcher had a few dodgy seasons at OT I can only praise his desire & commitment when called upon, obviously Fergie spotted something the rest of us didn't. Darren, when you're on it you are mustard, there's not many players that have the hunger & drive to bomb box to box like you do. Never lose the faith, your chance will come. To the rest of the United moaning minions, get behind the players & not on there backs..!
Posted 08:47 16th January 2008
Ed T (Manchester United fan) says...
We should definately keep hold of Fletcher. Good squad players who can come in and perform well and not moan about sitting on the bench is how we managed to win the treble in '99 and so many league titles.
Posted 08:46 16th January 2008
Mark Withy (Manchester United fan) says...
Sorry Darren but i'll drive you to Birmingham, if that helps.
Posted 08:43 16th January 2008
Paul Le page (Manchester United fan) says...
I like Fletcher's attitude however he simply isn't of the class required at United. He's Premiership level but if United are going to win the Champions League and Premiership you need a better class than him at your disposal, even on the bench. He'd do well to move on to a club like Everton, Aston Villa or Spurs where he'll get more games and probably improve as a player.
Posted 08:41 16th January 2008
Ben Winstanley (Barnsley fan) says...
I believe Fletcher will have an important part to play this season. His champions league experience (Roma, AC Milan last season) could still be vital to Ferguson in this seasons latter stages.
Posted 08:38 16th January 2008
Ryaan S (Manchester United fan) says...
Sell him! We have enough cover in the middle... He's our token Scot! Only reason he is still at the club.
Posted 08:37 16th January 2008
Christian Stokkeland (Aston Villa fan) says...
Send him to Leeds!!!!!!!!!
Posted 08:37 16th January 2008
Add Comment*
All fields are required