Fletcher Sought Ferguson’s Advice Before Move

The West Brom midfielder asked his former boss at
Old Trafford for guidance as he weighed up moves to the Baggies and West Ham.
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A switch to the Hammers fell through and he
completed a free transfer to The Hawthorns on
Monday after 340 games at United since making his
debut in 2003.
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Fletcher is in line for his Baggies bow at Burnley on
Sunday and admitted legendary United boss
Ferguson’s help was invaluable.
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“Yes, I spoke to him, why wouldn’t you? When I was
making my decision, I bounced a few things off him,”
said the 31-year-old, who won five Barclays Premier
League titles under Ferguson.
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“When someone has been such an influence on you
and has given you great advice on and off the pitch
all through your career you have to use these people.
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“We had a fantastic chat and I know he has great
relationship with Tony Pulis, as he has with lots of
managers throughout the league.
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“He didn’t necessarily recommend Albion but we
spoke about the pros and cons of different clubs
around country and he couldn’t speak highly enough
of Albion.
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“I’ve spoken before about him in these situations, not only from a football point of view but a personal point of view and how he cared for me more in that situation than actual football side of things and that speak volumes about him.”
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Fletcher said current Old Trafford chief Louis van
Gaal did not want him to leave but the Scotland
international knows he had to move for the good of
his career.
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“When you don’t play for a number of weeks you
start thinking about it and I spoke with the manager,
he didn’t really want me to leave but he respected my decision and did everything he could to help me,” he said, after just five starts this term.
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“I have to thank him for that. Edward (Woodward)
and the club have been fantastic, they have cared for
my wishes and I can’t speak highly enough of both of
them.
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“I wish that club all the success but for me my focus
now is on West Brom.”
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Baggies boss Pulis also admitted he tried to sign
Fletcher at Crystal Palace last year and spoke to
Ferguson about him.
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He added: “I actually asked Sir Alex about Darren
when I was at Crystal Palace. He said he was first
class. I was working on it.”