DARREN FLETCHER, the Scotland captain, admits he still harbours regrets about the way his Manchester United career ended.
The experienced midfielder brought the curtain down on his 20-year stint at Old Trafford when he joined West Bromwich Albion in January 2015, having fallen out of the first-team picture under Louis van Gaal.
Fletcher believes he still had plenty to offer at Old Trafford – an opinion he did not feel was shared by the Dutchman.
The 33-year-old, who is set to line up against United today, said: “Do I have regrets about leaving United? Well, I wish I had listened to Louis van Gaal during the first three games and played the way he wanted me to play, rather than playing silly passes at 0-0 in an attempt to win the game.
“But, seriously, I do look back with a little bit of regret because I actually thought I played really well for six months under David Moyes and Ryan Giggs. I don’t think I was ever in Van Gaal’s plans in the first place. I probably surprised him in pre-season and that enabled me to stay when a lot of other players left but, ultimately, I couldn’t stay and not play.”
Fletcher’s decision to move to The Hawthorns has proved inspired and he could make his 83rd consecutive league start for the club this weekend, a staggering achievement given his previous battle to overcome the career threatening condition, ulcerative colitis.
He added: “I just couldn’t see a way of out it. I needed a new challenge. I was seen as a voice around the place, a good guy and all that, but I just felt that I had a lot more football in me and I wanted to get out and give myself a chance to play.”
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