Darren Fletcher said it was a dream come true to captain Manchester United for the first time in their 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Newcastle on Wednesday.
Fletcher, 28, made his first start for 10 months in the Old Trafford fixture, after recovering from the effects of a chronic bowel problem.
And as the senior figure in a youthful team, the Scotland captain was given the United armband - something he was very proud of.
"It's my first time as captain of Manchester United," he told the club's television channel. "It's a fantastic moment, something you dream about.
"Obviously, having done it for my country means a lot but to do it for United as well [is incredible]. However, the most important thing, despite all these things like me coming back and being captain, was for us to win the game."
Fletcher made a substitute appearance against Galatasaray last week, his first senior game since the 2-2 draw with Benfica in November 2011.
Another player returning to the starting line-up against Newcastle was Wayne Rooney, who had been out for a month with a thigh injury.
Rooney, 26, played at the tip of a midfield diamond, with Fletcher at the base, and impressed the stand-in captain with his performance.
"Wayne was slotting in behind the strikers and enjoying it," he said. "He was getting on the ball, pinging it wide left and right and using his experience. He's a fantastic player with great imagination and enthusiasm and it's great for United to have a lot of players competing for places."
Fletcher also praised centre-backs Scott Wootton and Michael Keane, who both made their first United starts in an inexperienced defence.
"They were fantastic," he added. "They were talking to me the whole game. For two young centre-halves playing against good strikers they were fantastic. All the lads were."
No comments:
Post a Comment