Rangers Boss Surprised By Fletcher Rumours

There has been talk in the Scottish media linking Fletcher to a loan move, but Smith’s reaction does not suggest that there is any validity to the rumours.

"He's coming on loan? Hopefully but I've no chance of that," said Smith with a wry smile. "I don't know who has come up with that one. He was playing for Manchester United the other week.

"You will need to try a better one than that. Uncle Alex [Sir Alex Ferguson] will not be happy with that one."

The 23-year-old Scottish international is finding playing time increasingly hard to come by and has also been linked with a move to join his former national team coach Alex McLeish at Birmingham.

Summer arrivals Owen Hargreaves and Anderson are primarily responsible for keeping Fletcher out of United’s first team for much of this term, despite it being common knowledge that Sir Alex Ferguson has a soft spot for him.