Darren Fletcher is a player who featured in some star-studded teams during his career.
The Scottish midfielder made 342 appearances for Manchester United in his heyday between 2002 and 2015, winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League. Fletcher witnessed several teammates who were at the peak of their physical condition during that time, including the likes of Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese superstar is renowned for his incredible physique and is is still going strong at 40-years-old while playing professionally for Saudi side Al Nassr. With his relentless work ethic and ripped body, you could therefore be forgiven for expecting Fletcher to mention Ronaldo at the top of the pile when asked to name the fittest player he has ever stood next to.
However, he actually chose ex-West Brom team-mate James McClean when quizzed on the matter by FourFourTwo magazine. “James McClean is probably the fittest guy I’ve ever come across in football,” Fletcher said back in 2017.
“I’ve played with a lot fit players. I used to think of myself back in the day as one of the fittest box-to-box but I think James would blow me out the water. (He has) speed and unbelievable endurance. He really is a freak and another one who works incredibly hard at it.”
Fletcher played alongside McClean at West Brom for more than two years between 2015 and 2017, before the pair later teamed up again at Stoke City. McClean has 103 international caps to his name for the Republic of Ireland, also making 158 Premier League appearances during his career.
(
Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
The 35-year-old is currently plying his trade for Hollywood-owned Wrexham in League One and fighting for another promotion after helping them out of League Two in his first season with the club. Despite often getting into hot water for his outspoken views, McClean’s reputation for keeping himself in shape has clearly carried over into his time in North Wales.
Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster, who sat next to Ronaldo in the dressing room at Old Trafford, is another colleague who has remarked on the Derryman’s impeccable condition after playing with him at Wrexham. “I think James McClean is the hardest-working player I have ever come across in my life,” he said on his Fozcast podcast.
Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage
Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That’s where Wrexham is the Game steps in…
Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to ‘Wrexham is the Game’ will cost fans just £15 for the first year.
Sign up for Wrexham is the Game here
“The very first day that he signed…I got in there probably an hour before the rest of the lads got in. He’s on this SkiErg (fitness machine) sweating his tree off and I’m just like ‘you alright, mate’ and he looks at me as if to say ‘not now, I’m dying’.
“He gives me a thumbs up and carries on. He’s straight on to the battle rope, then he’s doing a circuit. This is at like eight in the morning. I’m like ‘you’re an absolute animal’. That is James McClean in a nutshell. He was like that every day. Genuinely, every day.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
