When Sir Alex Ferguson attempted to give a 15-year-old youth academy player his Premiership debut at the back end of the 1999/00, he was thwarted by the Premier League suits. It was to be the first in a long list of disappointments to befall Darren Fletcher. Last week, Manchester United’s most improved player was forced to watch from the stand as Barcelona’s Xavi and Andreas Iniesta toyed with his team-mates. Many in the media wondered aloud how much he was missed, proving a remarkable turnaround for a much maligned figure at Old Trafford.

Fletcher carried the unenviable tag ‘the new David Beckham’, and at just 16 was a regular in United’s reserve team, drawing praise from all corners. Former United favourite Paddy Crerand even called him “the best thing to come out of Scotland in years”.

“The boy has wonderful vision. He can carry the ball, he can pass it and he can shoot. He scored one goal, a thundering effort, and there was hardly any back-lift before the shot. He has superb balance… he’s going to be huge,” the 1968 European Cup winner said.

Unfortunately a series of injuries, including a serious knee problem, rather than the weight of expectation, hampered his progress. His run to the first team arrived in 2002/03 with a couple of appearances from the substitutes bench in the Champions League, but it wasn’t until the 2003/04 season that Fletcher made his bow in the Premier League. He helped United to a 4-0 victory against Leicester City on debut and made 22 league appearances. He also finished his breakthrough season with an FA Cup winner’s medal.

The tragedy throughout Fletcher’s career has been the fan’s reactions. They didn’t share Ferguson’s enthusiasm for consistently including him in the team, and Roy Keane even singled him out for criticism during his infamous canned MUTV interview. “I can’t understand why people in Scotland rave about Darren Fletcher,” Keane said in the wake of United’s 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough. Fletcher went some way to proving his critics wrong by scoring the goal that ended Chelsea’s 40-match unbeaten league run. But in the three seasons since breaking into the first team he had few fans, despite notching up 18, 27 and 24 league appearances.

It was during the 7-1 victory over Roma in the 2006/07 Champions League that Fletcher showed glimpses of his ability to be the fulcrum in midfield. Always a good passer, he rarely wasted a ball and hassled and harried all over the pitch, disturbing Roma’s rhythm. However, the arrival of Owen Hargreaves and Anderson seemed to suggest his squad status was diminishing, as Ferguson added steel to the midfield. There was talk of a transfer to Everton, but nothing materialised. Instead, he waited patiently and grasped every opportunity given. His finest performance in a United shirt up to that point was undoubtedly the FA Cup Fourth Round victory over Arsenal. Not only did he score two goals in the 4-0 route, but he had Cesc Fabregas chasing his shadow for 90 minutes.No meant feat.

This season Fletcher really emerged, turning those glimpses of authority into a feature of his game. He emerged as United’s most consistent central midfielder, not afraid to get stuck in and do the hard yards. He developed a ruthless tenacity and fighting qualities that had been missing; rushing at opponents, closing space, and providing drive in possession. In the embryonic stages of this season he scored the goals that earned a misfiring United four valuable early points - an opening day equaliser against Newcastle and the only strike in the win at Portsmouth. It’s drawing a long bow to say Fletcher’s goals won United the title, but their importance cannot be understated.

Nor can his absence from the Champions League final line-up. It’s a brave man who suggests United would have won had Fletcher played, but it’s safe to say he would have chased down every pass, put pressure on Barcelona’s midfield duo and, most importantly, would have sought to deny them the space they relished to play ‘tic-tac’. Ferguson’s belief in his fellow Scot paid off this season, and his emergence as an important cog in the Manchester United machine had even the most ardent critics woofing down humble pie.

As Question marks remain over Hargreaves’ fitness, and doubts over Anderson linger following his feeble no show in Rome, the mantle of United’s chief midfield destroyer is now Fletcher’s to lose. Given the way he fought back to win his place in the starting XI, and put in the fantastic performances that kept him there, it’s a fairly safe bet we’ll be seeing more of the same next season.