Darren Fletcher called out by Man Utd fans for what he did moments before Joshua Zirkzee penalty miss
Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been called out by fans after they spotted what he reportedly did before Joshua Zirkzee missed the decisive penalty in his side's FA Cup fifth round defeat to Fulham.
The fifth round clash at Old Trafford went to penalties after the teams could not be separated at 1-1 after extra time.
Both Zirkzee and Victor Lindelof saw their penalties saved by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno, with Zirkzee's miss ultimately sending United out of the competition.
It was a bitter blow for Ruben Amorim's side but devastating in particular for Zirkzee, who has increasingly impressed fans in recent weeks with his all-round performances.
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The Dutchman subsequently apologised for his miss on social media - with the post being accompanied by support from United fans.
But fans were less happy after reading what former United midfielder Fletcher, who is currently a first team coach under Amorim, did moments before Zirkzee's miss.
According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, the Scotsman was already walking towards the United dressing room as Zirkzee prepared to take the spot kick.
While such an action does occasionally happen among the coaches as a game reaches its closing stages, it is much more notable that it happened during such a decisive moment in the penalty shootout.
Fletcher was retained by Amorim when he arrived at the club from Sporting Lisbon in November and is believed to act as a key bridging point between the first team and the academy.
The likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and now Chido Obi have made the step up from youth football to the senior team in recent seasons.
After the match, Amorim was asked about his choice of penalty takers, in particular his decision to allow Lindelof to step up.
He explained: "In the end, with penalties, it can happen for both sides and today was not our day.
"He [Lindelof] was really confident to take a shot. He's training really well, scoring in training, so it was an obvious choice."
Topics: Darren Fletcher, FA Cup, Joshua Zirkzee, Man Utd
Ryan Smart