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7 months ago
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A former Manchester United star has seen his two sons follow in his footsteps by signing their first professional contracts at Old Trafford.
Twins Jack and Tyler Fletcher - son of former midfielder and Scotland international Darren - are set to continue their development with the Red Devils after penning their first professional deals.
The pair had originally honed their skills on the pitch at rivals Man City, before switching academies last summer to join their father at Carrington.
Darren, 40, has a role with the first team, working closely with Erik ten Hag as technical director, and it appears at least one of his sons has been earmarked to follow his path into the senior side.
Midfielder Jack has reportedly already impressed the Dutch head coach and has been fast-tracked into first team training. Tyler, meanwhile, who is a central midfielder, has done well with the youth team.
Both have starred for the academy this term, with United top of the Under-18 Premier League North table, 10 points clear of rivals City.
The highly-regarded duo also featured in an adidas promotion alongside Scotland international Scott McTominay for the Predator release in January
Both signed their professional contracts on the same day, posing together for cameras in identical training gear.
Darren Fletcher's twin sons Jack (right) and Tyler Fletcher (left) have signed their first pro contracts
The pair have previously turned out together for Scotland at youth level, though Jack (left) has now switched allegiances to represent England
While the pair have followed one and other through there domestic careers, the duo appear to be on different paths on the international front.
Tyler has been capped at Under 17s level by Scotland - the same country his father represented 80 times - while Jack has taken to accepting call ups for England at youth level, the country of his birth. They had previously been Scotland teammates.
The pair went head to head in an Under 16s international in February last year, with Jack grabbing an assist as England won out 3-0.
Club legend Fletcher, who played over 300 games for United and won 10 major trophies with the club, was understood to be one of the driving forces behind getting the pair to swap the Etihad for Old Trafford last sumer.
He was not the first United icon to send his own children to City, with Wayne Rooney, Phil Neville and Robin van Persie doing the same due to the superior academy in the blue half of Manchester.
Fletcher is now United's technical director and works closely with manager Erik ten Hag
Fletcher, pictured with his sons in 2019 at the Old Firm Derby, had originally put his boys through the Man City academy
Performing as a key midfield asset at the time when Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes were part of United's team of superstars, Fletcher finished his career with five English top-flight titles, an FA Cup, a Champions League and other major honours.
He eventually retired from football in 2019 after previously having his career interrupted by ulcerative colitis and has carved out a career in an off-pitch capacity at United.
Fletcher was appointed into his technical director position after retiring from playing and once explained his role as 'taking a holistic view of the path for players from our academy to our first team.'
Club legend Darren Fletcher fulfils the role of technical director at Old Trafford
However, his current job title is understood to be under review by INEOS decision-makers who are now considering moving the Scot into a new role with a changed job title.
The 40-year-old has worked closely alongside manager Erik ten Hag since the Dutchman's arrival at the club two-years ago.
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