Carrick's 'amazing' touch shown to Man Utd U18s pointed out by Fletcher

Michael Carrick shows "amazing" touch with Manchester United U18s, says Darren Fletcher.

The U18s coach has praised Carrick for his commitment to the youth at the club and the support he is giving despite the work he has now with the first team.

Carrick travelled down to watch the U18s beat Oxford United 4-1 in the FA Youth Cup and qualify for the quarter-finals.

First-half strikes from Albert Mills and JJ Gabriel set United on the way, and they were dominant throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Further goals from Chido Obi and Noah Ajayi completed the scoring at the Kassam Stadium, with Josh Holton notching for the hosts.

United will now play Sunderland or Brighton and Hove Albion in the last eight, with that game to be played by 14 March.

Carrick has been present at several Academy fixtures since his appointment as first-team head coach in January.

He has been keen to cast his eye over the next generation of players who are working hard to graduate from the famed youth system.

Despite the challenging conditions and a long journey, Michael travelled to Oxford and back to support our FA Youth Cup hopefuls, alongside his assistant coaches Travis Binnion and Jonny Evans.

And Fletcher has revealed the players hadn’t been briefed on their presence, but said it will have meant a lot to them when they found out.

“I'm not sure if they were aware of it, to be honest,” said Fletcher. “I didn't want to draw their attention to it, to add more pressure, so, ultimately, it's just great they were there.

“Whether the players were aware of it, I'm not sure, we stayed in our own bubble. I didn't want to allude to the fact that the first-team manager was there and his staff were there.

“I think, ultimately, the biggest thing is that they are there to support, they are there to get their eyes on the players and it's amazing. It shows how connected we are, it shows how the club is and those guys get it.

“It's great for us that they are there, supporting us, and making the long journey down. It's fantastic, but, as I say, I'm not sure the players were aware, unless they've looked up and seen it and that gave them extra motivation!”