Manchester United have persuaded the twin sons of technical director and former player Darren Fletcher to join the club’s academy ranks from Manchester City, 90min can confirm.
Fletcher was himself a United youth product, moving to Manchester from Scotland aged 11 tin 1995 to follow in the footsteps of players like Paul Scholes and David Beckham.
He eventually left Old Trafford in 2015 after illness took its toll on his playing career at the very highest level, but stayed local to the area through spells with West Brom and Stoke, and returned to the club as a youth team coach in the autumn of 2020.
Fletcher was promoted to first-team coach in early 2021, working alongside former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was then appointed technical director just two months later.
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But despite Fletcher’s long association with United, his twin sons – Jack and Tyler, born in 2007 and recently turning 16, have been Manchester City academy players since their dad was walking out onto the Old Trafford turf each week.
That is not actually unusual. The sons of Phil Neville, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie have all played in City’s youth teams, although Harvey Neville did join United prior to going pro with Inter Miami, while Kai Rooney is currently tearing it up in a red shirt instead.
In addition to Jack and Tyler Fletcher moving to United, 90min understands that the proposed deal to take academy prospect Harrison Parker in the opposite direction is also going through. The twins are due to turn 17 next March, at which point they will be able to sign professional terms with United.
Jack and Tyler curiously represent different international sides. Jack has played for England at youth level, but Tyler has instead turned out for Scotland through his father’s heritage. They actually played against each other in an Under-16 game in February this year.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Man Utd poach Darren Fletcher's sons from Man City.