Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher hits out at Man City over FA Youth Cup Final behaviour | OneFootball

Darren Fletcher – head coach of Manchester United’s Under-18 side – has hit out at Manchester City for their behaviour after winning the FA Youth Cup Final on Thursday night.

The tension comes after a dramatic final at the Joie Stadium, where Manchester City’s Under-18s secured a 2-1 victory over their cross-town rivals courtesy of an 87th-minute strike from Reigan Heskey after Godwill Kukonki cancelled out Floyd Samba’s stunning free-kick opener.

However, the result has been somewhat overshadowed by Manchester United’s seemingly ongoing frustration regarding the choice of venue for the game, given the tradition of such an occasion being hosted at the first-team arena.

United had reportedly offered to reverse the showpiece and host at Old Trafford to accommodate a sizeable crowd.

However, the fixture remained at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium due to Manchester City winning the host draw and citing construction work at the Etihad Stadium as a barrier to moving the game to their primary home.

“It felt like a Man City competition”, says Fletcher

Now, according to BBC Sport, Manchester United Under-18s head coach Darren Fletcher aired his views around Manchester City’s trophy celebrations ‘forcefully’, shouting at Football Association officials during the post-match presentation.

Speaking to reporters after the contest, Fletcher admitted, “I’m disappointed in the FA for everything that’s gone around this game: for the location, for everything. You have to respect the opposition. But not when Man City take over an FA Youth Cup.

“It’s an FA competition. It should never have been like that. I’ve never heard individual coaches be shouted out and every individual player be shouted out. That doesn’t happen in cup finals.”

The former Manchester United midfielder continued, “It’s an FA competition and it felt like it was a Man City competition for this whole build-up to the game and in terms of how we had to deal with that at the end.

“That’s my one gripe for tonight. But the best team won, compliments to them.”

Scheduling woes continue for United

The fallout arrives at a delicate time for Manchester United’s academy, with Darren Fletcher also highlighting the ‘difficult dynamics’ of a congested fixture list.

Several of Thursday’s starters are now also expected to feature in the club’s Premier League 2 final against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday – less than 48 hours after the emotional and physical drain of a derby cup final.

While Manchester City celebrate their fifth FA Youth Cup trophy – furthering their dominance in the 2020s – United appear increasingly vocal about protecting the prestige of the competition.