Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim surprised fans by naming the Fletcher brothers on the bench for the Premier League game against Newcastle United on Boxing Day. This comes after Jack made his Premier League debut in the defeat to Aston Villa a few days ago. Amorim is working with a weakened squad, with Bruno Fernandes and Koby Mainu out through injury.
He expected Mainu to return before captain Fernandes and was no doubt relieved to welcome Casemiro back after his one-match suspension. Fletchers, the son of former United midfielder Darren, signed from Manchester City’s youth set-up in 2023. For a modest transfer fee of £1.25 million, the pair moved from the Etihad to Old Trafford, where they honed their skills at age group level. Darren, a former Scotland international with 81 senior caps, followed in his footsteps into Scotland’s youth team, while Jack was selected for the England squad.
“I think Jack Fletcher has done a very good job. That’s why when we have this opportunity, we have to give space to players like Jack and other players. So we’re going to find a solution to play,” Amorim told reporters on Wednesday.
Born in England while their father was at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, the brothers had the option of playing for either England or Scotland. Interestingly, Ferguson’s team had a game on the day the twins were born, but Darren was absent due to an ankle ligament injury.
Jack previously represented Scotland Under-16s, but has chosen to represent his country at international level. He made two appearances for Will Antwi’s England Under-19s during the November international break, scoring in a 4-0 win over Scotland.
Tyler was in the opposition half that day, wearing the Scotland team’s captain’s armband. He also scored his first goal for the U-19 team in a 2-2 draw away to Latvia earlier that month.
