FLETCHER SET TO BE A FIXTURE

Last updated : 17 November 2004 By EDITOR

"Darren was excellent at Newcastle," Ferguson enthused. "He played very well against Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup last week, and I thought that match showed a performance that was more like the Darren Fletcher we knew from the end of last season. As I have said, he took time to get into things last term and it has been the same way this year. But I think his last two matches shows that he is getting his game going again."

Wilf McGuinness, thinks that the expectation on the player is sometimes too great.

"Darren has only just left his teens and I think it’s sometimes easy to forget that," Wilf told ManUtd.com. "We have been speaking about him since he was set to make his first-team debut against Aston Villa four years ago."

"We all know the player he can be," says Wilf. "If he hadn’t had the injuries so early on in his career, I am sure he would already be a regular in the team by now. Fletcher was excellent at times against Newcastle He made the odd little mistake, but I was pleased to see him back involved again. We just need to persevere with giving him games – as we have always known, he is capable of developing into quite a player. I’m hopeful he can really burst through now, make the transition from a young hopeful to a first-team regular."