LITTLE RED DEVIL

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Darren Fletcher’s patience and determination to be an important squad member for United after turning in another impressive performance, this time against Lyon in the Champions League.Fletcher went about his work quietly but effectively, breaking up Lyon attacks and displaying his wide range of passing, reason enough for Sir Alex to feel justified in leaving Paul Scholes on the bench.“It was a big decision because Scholes’ performance against Fulham was vintage,” he said. “If the game had been on Wednesday I would have played him. But I had to ask the question with it being three days after the Fulham, especially given the time he has been out injured and his age. “Darren came in to do a job, which he did very effectively. He's not easy to play against. I wouldn’t like to play against him. He has such a long stretch, which means he can close players down quickly and he wins possession without conceding many fouls. That was important to us, because Juninho’s ability from set-pieces could have been a threat to us.”