Source: Manchester_EveningNews
Carrick: Fletcher is top class
MICHAEL Carrick has hailed United team-mate Darren Fletcher as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. It does not seem that long ago that Fletcher's name on the team sheet was more likely to elicit groans than cheers from the club's own fans. Yet over the past 18 months, the Scotland skipper's star has risen rapidly. His absence from the Champions League final in Rome was cited as one of the major reasons why Sir Alex Ferguson's side struggled against Barcelona in May. The fact that Fletcher has missed seven of United's last nine defeats in all competitions certainly adds weight to that theory. Now it seems the 26-year-old has also added goalscoring to his repertoire. Although still not prolific by any means, Fletcher scored twice in the 4-3 derby win over Manchester City in September and put United on the road to a comfortable 3-0 win over Everton yesterday with a stunning 20-yard volley into the top corner of Tim Howard's net. "Darren is one of the best midfielders around at the moment," said Carrick. "His performances are at the highest level and it is great to play alongside him. He really is on top of his game." Fletcher is not the type to seek attention and his reaction to another eye-catching contribution was typically matter of fact. "The main thing with a strike like that is to get your foot over the ball and fortunately it went in the back of the net," he said. "It was one of my best strikes." Fletcher is going to be a pivotal figure over the next few months as United try to hunt down Chelsea, who remain five points clear at the top of the table. However, they will need goals from every department as the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo has turned up the heat on everyone. "The goals Ronaldo scored were extraordinary for a wide man," Carrick added. "It's obvious that we cannot rely on the strikers every week. "We have all chipped in and we need to do it more often. As long as someone is scoring it is not an issue. It is winning games that matter." Carrick counts himself among that number, so he was particularly pleased with the neat side-footed effort that effectively sealed victory before Antonio Valencia grabbed a late third. As the direct replacement for Ronaldo, Valencia has been cajoled into increasing what was a minimal goals output at Wigan. He only scored seven for the Latics last season and, including the deflected effort against CSKA Moscow that UEFA have credited him with, the Ecuador international now has four for United. He is also starting to impose himself on games, with his forceful running unhinging a disappointing Everton outfit who seemed intent on containment. "Antonio is a top-class player," said Fletcher. "He is getting used to the way we play and he was in the groove again. "He is a really strong physical lad who can get goals. We have seen that in training and I believe he is going to get a lot for Manchester United." The injuries which kept Dimitar Berbatov and Jonny Evans out yesterday will also consign them to the stands for Wednesday's Champions League outing with Group B basement boys Besiktas. With qualification for the knockout phase already assured, changes are likely. Gary Neville should return from suspension but more interest will focus on the goalkeeping situation. Edwin van der Sar, who took a knock in a collision with Tim Cahill, could stand down in favour of either Tomasz Kuszczak or Ben Foster, who again did not make the bench against Everton despite being named in the England side beaten by Brazil last weekend.
