Scott McTominay appears to have taken Tyler Fletcher under his wing during the Scotland training camp ahead of their World Cup campaign.
Despite being originally expected to just train with the Scotland squad, Tyler Fletcher is now part of their World Cup squad having impressed in a friendly with Billy Gilmour’s injury opening the door.
Fletcher had impressed his Scotland teammates and his place on the team list is more than deserved. This despite Gordon Strachan questioning the decision wrongly.
He won’t be a starter for Scotland, but the opportunity to play in a World Cup is an incredible experience for Fletcher. He is also benefiting from time with Scott McTominay.
Is Tyler Fletcher’s call-up for the World Cup good for his Man Utd career – or are you concerned it will negatively impact his pre-season opportunities?
What is your message for Tyler after his shock World Cup call?
Tyler Fletcher and Scott McTominay train together for Scotland
Fletcher will miss his chance to play in pre-season for United, but the experience he will gain this summer will be huge for his development.
Both the training, the atmosphere and any minutes he gets, but he will also benefit massively from his time with McTominay.
The two United graduates seem to have grown close in training, and a new clip from one session shows them doing a reflexes drill against each other.
The pair were racing to pick up a bib on the coaches whistle and Fletcher beat McTominay in the clip, with the pair getting competitive and aggressive with each other, in the ways that are positive.
Fletcher shouted at McTominay after winning, with the elder midfielder squaring up to the 19-year-old but he didn’t back down.
McTominay’s passion and aggression was always a huge positive to his game when at the club, and hopefully this will now rub off on Fletcher.
If he can take this back to Carrington, it could be a character shift that pushes him from a prospect to a player that Michael Carrick wants in the team, replicating the impact McTominay had.
It will give Fletcher a confidence boost, and he should be so much better for this experience.
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Tyler Fletcher is ready to play his part next season for United
Regardless of Fletcher not being in pre-season for United, it is pretty clear that he cannot be playing academy football next season.
His international experience and impressive cameos for United’s first team mean he is ready for first-team football at Old Trafford or elsewhere.
Fletcher has the talent and attitude to succeed at United, and his absence from pre-season shouldn’t prevent him from being handed the chance to play substantial minutes next season.
It should be between Fletcher and Jacob Devaney for the role of academy midfielder to deputise the summer’s signings and Kobbie Mainoo, either would be a smart move and maybe even both.
But in particular, Fletcher is going to benefit a lot from his time with McTominay.
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