One of Manchester United's backroom staff has sent them a reminder in a way nobody expected
Manchester United rolled out the red carpet at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon to welcome back some of the club's most famous faces of the past.
Hosted by the Manchester United Foundation, a United Legends XI went head-to-head with a Celtic Legends XI in M16. Played in good spirits, an excellent time was had by all, even if it resulted in Celtic winning the trophy that was up for grabs via penalties.
Wayne Rooney, who raised the volume of the crowd every time he got on the ball, scored the game's opening goal, bending home a brilliant free-kick before half-time. Celtic responded after the break, taking the contest to a penalty shootout after Gary Hooper tapped home an equaliser.
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Rooney, who is now in charge of Plymouth Argyle, was arguably the headline act. The crowd thought so too, purring at his every touch.
His free-kick was, of course, the standout moment of the afternoon, but it was the work of Darren Fletcher in midfield that sent out a reminder of how good he was in his heyday. The Scot, who continues to work with the United first-team, joined forces with former teammate Michael Carrick - now in charge at Middlesbrough - in the engine room and they bounced off each other in the first half, orchestrating proceedings.
Albeit in very different circumstances to what they were used to during their playing careers, they still carried the qualities that led to them making more than 800 appearances for United between them. Fletcher, 40, was excellent, pressing with intensity and covering just about every blade of grass