PLAYER PROFILE

Darren Fletcher

Position: Midfield

Height: 6'0

Weight: 13st 1lbs

Date of Birth: 1984-02-01 Edinburgh, Scotland

Darren Fletcher

For many years, Darren Fletcher was regarded as one of the best of the current crop of Manchester United youngsters, catching the eye to the extent that Scotland coach Berti Vogts was even monitoring his progress.

He was held up a couple of times, firstly because he was still a schoolboy when Sir Alex Ferguson originally tried to give him his debut - which would have been against the rules - and a couple of injuries threatened his rise through the ranks.

Fletcher finally made his big splash for Manchester United against FC Basel in the Champions League in 2002/03, and the expectations grew even higher. He followed it up with another fine performance away to Deportivo La Coruna.

In 2003/04, he made huge strides, emulating the rapid rise of John O'Shea a year earlier. He took advantage of David Beckham's departure to play many times on the right-wing, though it soon became obvious that his best position was in the middle.

A brave and hard working performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal earned him plenty of praise and he was rewarded with a starting place in the Cup final, not to mention his first medal. On the international front, he scored a crucial goal in Scotland's Euro 2004 qualifiers and was even handed the captain's armband for a summer friendly.

In the 2004/05 season, Manchester United's below-average campaign proved to be a learning curve for Fletcher as Ferguson tweaked his faltering squad and found room for the young Scot. He made 29 appearances and found the back of the net 3 times. He continued his useful form for Scotland under new coach Walter Smith.

With Roy Keane leaving the club in 2005/06 and Paul Scholes missing half of the season through injury, Fletcher became almost a regular in a troubled midfield for Manchester United. However, he was widely criticised for his performances and lack of physical toughness, though he still managed a winning goal against Chelsea at Old Trafford.

2006/07 was a much better campaign for Fletcher, even though he was overshadowed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. When he did get the chance to shine, the young Scot invariably put in excellent performances, most notably in games against Liverpool and Roma at Old Trafford.

He was once again a utility man in 2007/08, but when he did get his chance he continued to show his ability, even scoring two goals in an FA Cup tie against Arsenal. 2008/09 was a big season for the Scot, with injury ruling out Owen Hargreaves and age meaning that Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs could no longer be regulars.

Fletcher played a hugely important role in United's midfield throughout the season, but it ended in heartbreak for him when a controversial red card in the Champions League semi-final ruled him out of the final. He was badly missed as Barcelona overran United in the centre of the pitch.