TOTAL BLOW

Darren Fletcher has admitted that the defeat against Swansea City in the third round of the FA Cup the other day was a body blow for Manchester United.

With that defeat, the Red Devils got knocked out of the competition. It was only the third occasion in the last three decades that United couldn’t move ahead of the third round in the FA Cup.

The defeat was more humiliating because United was playing that match in front of its home fans and they were supposed to pull off the win with ease.

Fletcher was one of the few Manchester United players who could have held their heads high at the end of that game. The 29 years old midfielder was in good touch and he hardly committed an error on the pitch.

The Red Devils are not going to get that much break after this humiliating loss. They have to play another big match tomorrow i.e. against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. That will be the Capital One Cup semi final match and United is under huge pressure to put up a good performance in that game.

Talking to the reporters ahead of that game, Fletcher said, “To be honest, we should have played far better in the last game. It was a really poor effort and the boys are gutted at the moment.”

“The supporters were let down by us that day, but, we will try to bring the smiles back on their faces with a good performance tomorrow.”

Fletcher has recently returned to action for the Red Devils after remaining out for about 12 months or so, but, he hasn’t taken long to get into rhythm. His performances have been up to the mark and it’s certainly good news for the United management.