Fletcher to everton ?

Pogue Mahone

They will do if they turn out to be better footballers than him.

From the list above I would say one almost certainly won't, the other two might but it's a very long shot.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

If that was really the case Evans or Pique would have been starters by now and O'shea long gone.

fergieisold

Don't want fletch to go. But I would be happy for him if he did move! Great signing for Everton if it happens

Pogue Mahone

Not really.

You may not rate O'Shea but SAF clearly does.

Which is good enough for me.

Putting opinions to one side for a minute, Evans and Pique are both barely out of their teens and play in a position where experience is crucial. Is it any wonder that O'Shea was getting the nod ahead of them, while they were still learning the game?

One or other of them may end up developing into a better player than O'Shea but that won't be for another few years. Pique wasn't prepared to wait, hopefully Evans is a bit more patient.

FlawlessThaw

Well if it's anything to go by when Fletcher was their age he was a much better player than the three mentioned.

FranklyVulgar

Fletch remains at united due to his performances for the club. Fletch was thrown in at a time when united were weak in the middle. He struggled when paired with o'shea or allan smith and as the youngest least experienced player in the midfield he bore the brunt and resonsibilty. He was poor, i'll admit that but he got an awful lot of stick.

Clearly the amount of coaches, players and managers who rate the lad know why. I imagine fletch was an outstanding prospect who hasn't lived up to his own potential. But still could and i think he will. I have seen enough good things in fletchers game including his ability on the ball, his ability to pass, he has a decent left foot, he can strike the ball well and is as fit as any other pro in the game.

If fletch does leave it will be to a good club where he will cement his place.

I think if SAF didnt spend 18mil on Carrick and 18mil on Hargreaves (i'm saying if he spent alot less on them) Fletch would have had more oppertunities because there have been times when he has been in better form than these two players. But as is often the case when you spend alot of money you will get games regardless. Which is fair enough but Fletch suffered.

ralphie88

O'Shea gives us cover in so many different positions it would be daft to get rid of him in my opinion.

Fletcher on the other hand can play one position - centre-mid. And doesn't play it particularly well.

Pogue Mahone

He was decent at full-back a couple of seasons ago. I would disagree about not playing centre-mid particularly well, by the way. Every single game he played in that position last season he played very well indeed.

As FranklyVulgar points out, far too many people are still beating Fletcher with the stick of his performances in a season where Alan fecking Smith was getting games in our midfield. He's come on in leaps and bounds since then and is blossoming into a very effective player.

Remains to be seen whether or not he is good enough to force his way into our starting line-up but I can still see him playing a lot of football for Manchester United and I have absolutely no doubt that he's already better than Carrick or Hargreaves was at the same age.

Ronaldo No.9

And who can forget his pass to Rooney to equalise againest Milan:

ralphie88

Fletcher's less than three years younger than Carrick. I'd disagree that Fletcher now is as good as Carrick was in his last season at Spurs.

Hargreaves is a different matter though, Fletcher's performances in the centre of the park were better than Hargreaves's last season IMO, although Hargeaves undoubtedly offers more at wide mid than Fletcher ever will.

Lot 49

Good grief.

ScipioAfricanus

Who would they start before?
Brown? Rio? Vidic? Evra?

I think not.

Pique fancied himself as a starter but he wouldn't here simply because the rest are better right now.

Evans is still young and might get his chance. As for O'Shea. who else in our squad can slot into any defensive position at a moments notice and cover well enough?

FranklyVulgar

I have always thought Fletch was potentially better than Carrick and Hargreaves because when he is red hot in form he combines both of these players games. He tackles well, wins the ball in the middle and his distrubtion can be as good as Carricks.

It is his consistency that is the problem.

Pogue Mahone

If Fletcher had played week in, week out, last season for a mid-table team like Spurs he would have been just as impressive as Carrick was in his last season for them (although I thought Carrick was the same age as Fletcher, in the season before his last at Spurs? I could be wrong though) Makes a massive difference to a young player's development when he gets to play every game for his club.

Carrick has improved, big-time, since leaving Spurs. A lot of that is down to being surrounded by better players but it's also due to him starting to mature and develop as all players do once they hit their mid twenties - especially lanky lengths of rope, like Carrick and Fletcher.

I don't see why Fletcher won't be just as good as, if not better than, Carrick is now, in a few years time.

ralphie88

Well we'll see. But if you're not proved very spectacularly wrong, I'll be very surprised.

FranklyVulgar

I have a fear that only if Fletch leaves United will he be proven right.

Sarni

Carrick was one of the most important members of Tottenham squad and Hargreaves was a regular for Bayern at that age. Sometimes I still feel as if Fletcher was 19 or something when reading posts like that, he's in fact 24.

gaffs

BUT, Fletcher has not played week in, week out, so how can you say "he would have been just as impressive as Carrick was in his last season for them (Spurs)". You can only guess.

Carrick has had a very good career path. He has moved onwards and upwards after every few years and has always been a regular starter.

The question I have about Fletcher is...

Can he be a consistent performer when starting 30+ league games a season?

No one can answer that until he either moves to another club or Fergie gives him far more games.

gaffs

Carrick was consistently good for Spurs over 2 years. His reading of the game, vision and eye for a pass are far better than Fletchers. They are not the best two players to compare.

Hargreaves V Fletcher is a better comparison. Though, remember is was Hargreaves first season in the Prem and he was hampered by injury.

gaffs

Correct - he wont be able to prove his worth without a move or without a regular starting place at United.

Pogue Mahone

Fletcher is easily good enough to be "one of the most important members of Tottenham squad". He would also be a regular at Bayern (who are a bit shit these days).

REd FUn DevIl

Ermm no. They have better player than Fletcher currently on the middle.

He would be a squad player at Bayern like he is at Utd.

Pogue Mahone

This is Bayern's first-team midfielders from last season.

7 Franck Ribéry
8 Hamit Altintop
15 Zé Roberto
16 Andreas Ottl
17 Mark van Bommel
20 José Ernesto Sosa
24 Tim Borowski
31 Bastian Schweinsteiger
39 Toni Kroos

Are you seriously telling me Fletch wouldn't start regularly playing for that lot?

Woodzy

I wouldn't think so either to be honest.

Pogue Mahone

Jeebus, how come United players always have to leave before fans appreciate how good they really are?

Everton's current club captain is a brilliant example of a player who was massively under-rated at United before going on to demonstrate the ridiculously high standards we have at our club, after joining Everton.

Ho hum. Same old same old, I suppose.

Woodzy

I think Fletcher is a fantastic player, and wouldn't want him to leave. I just don't think he's better than our first choice midfield or first choice for Bayern.

Nem 7

Fletcher.

25 million minimum.

gaffs

Any examples of players who left and suddenly became appreciated?