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UNITED: Fletch Happy To Stay Out Of The Spotlight

He’s always mentioned in the same breath as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo whenever Sir Alex Ferguson discusses United’s bright future, but Darren Fletcher insists he’s more than happy to stay away from the limelight.

/noticias.info/ All three young stars have enjoyed a productive start to the season but inevitably it’s been Rooney and Ronaldo who have grabbed the headlines thanks to their attacking exploits.

Fletcher, who is set to sign a new deal with the club any day, is full of admiration for his United team-mates but, as he told ManUtd.com, he is more than happy to continue plying his trade quietly in the background...

Sir Alex has been full of praise for your recent performances. How much confidence do you get from hearing such positive feedback from him?
"It's great for confidence but the key thing you always have to remember is if you don't perform you won't be in the team. The manager gave me my chance at the beginning of the season and hopefully my performances have kept me there. I know that if I don't perform there are good players in the squad who will come in and take my place."

The manager always includes you alongside Rooney and Ronaldo when he talks about the club's future being in good hands. How does that make you feel?
"It's nice that the manager always mentions me but I look at myself as being a different type of player who does a lot of hard work for the team that goes unnoticed. Wayne and Cristiano are world stars who have got unbelievable attacking talent and can score goals. Keeping the ball might not be as flash [as what they do] but hopefully I do just as important a job for the team in different areas."

So you're happy to leave the spotlight to them...
"Oh yes I like it just the way it is! It's not my scene but to be honest I don't think it's Wayne or Cristiano's scene either, especially Wayne. He doesn't go out looking for it and sometimes it's brought upon him unfairly, but you just have to deal with it. Playing for United regularly is my main goal and the only person I've got to please is Sir Alex Ferguson - as long as he's happy that's all that matters."

After all the injury setbacks you experienced during your teenage years, did you ever doubt that you would make the breakthrough into the first team?
"I never doubted I'd make it because I always had confidence in my ability. I just saw the injuries as stumbling blocks and things that you learn from. Being out injured makes you a better person and helps you appreciate things more. You appreciate the fact that you get to come and train at Carrington every day and that you've got a marvellous job. Sometimes you do take it for granted but you've just got to remember the low times and how difficult things are when you're injured."

"The manager gave me my chance at the start of the season and hopefully my performances have kept me there."
Darren Fletcher
Presumably you must get a lot of support from your team-mates and the staff at the club when you're out injured...
"There are lots of people from all departments who help you from your team-mates to the coaching staff and the physiotherapists. Most professionals go through a bad injury at some stage so to hear from people who have been there is reassuring and gives you the confidence to get yourself fit again. Injuries are part and parcel of football, you've just got to try and prepare yourself and your body for them as much as you can and we do a lot of exercises that aim to prevent injuries. Obviously you're not going to prevent them all but these little exercises may help you come back after six weeks rather than eight."

Looking back on your career so far is there one moment that stands out for you as being a real turning point?
"I think the goal I scored for Scotland against Holland [in the Euro 2004 first leg play-off] was very significant. I think the manager was at that game and I seemed to feature a lot more after that match. Maybe showing him what I could do on the international stage helped my United career but that's what can happen in football and vice versa. It was an important goal and a great moment for me personally. To score my first goal in my second game for Scotland at Hampden Park was fairytale stuff and a really special moment."

You're set to sign a new contract with the club any day. How much does that mean to you?
"New contracts are always nice and it hopefully shows that I'm going to be here for a long time. I've no intention of going anywhere else - I love the club and I want to become as successful as some of the other experienced players in the squad."

Report by Gemma Thompson. notas_de_prensa_archivo