Jack Fletcher in squad to face Brentford

Son of United legend, Darren, he joined the Academy from Manchester City last year along with twin brother, Tyler. He then signed his professional contract in April, shortly after his 17th birthday.

Fletcher arrived at Old Trafford as part of the first-team squad early on Saturday afternoon and will take his place among the substitutes at M16.

Fletcher has made a fine start to the season at Premier League 2 level, getting a goal and two assists in successive United wins over Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in August.

Those performances earned Jack a nomination for Premier League 2 Player of the Month, while he also scored twice off the bench in our EFL Trophy victory against Barnsley in September. That month, the attacking midfielder also played three times for England Under-18s.

"Jack’s doing very well," said Ten Hag. "He was with us on the [pre-season] tour and is progressing very well, but [being in the squad] is also to do with injuries we have in midfield.

"Even players like Dan Gore and Toby Collyer, unfortunately, also picked up injuries. But we have to deal with it and [Jack] is coming and developing very well. He will get inspiration from [being in the squad], but he has to be ready, because when you’re on the bench, you can be picked and you have to contribute. We are confident he can do it."

If he appears during the game, our No.57 would become the club's 252nd Academy graduate to represent the first-team.

Toby Collyer became the 251st in August, with Ethan Wheatley, also among the subs for today's game, the milestone 250th towards the end of last season.

Wheatley, meanwhile, is looking to add to his three senior appearances to date.

Former Academy players Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jonny Evans are among the starters named by Ten Hag, maintaining our strong culture of developing our own talent. 

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