Darren Fletcher has told the Daily Record that he would have signed for Rangers – despite admitting he is actually a Celtic fan.
The rivalry between the two clubs is well-known. Celtic and Rangers play out one of the biggest derbies in world football, and few players cross the divide.
In recent times, Rangers signed former Celtic youth ace Michael O’Halloran – a boyhood Celtic fan – and the reverse happened just last year when Celtic signed ex-Rangers talent Greg Taylor.
It maybe isn’t the big issue it once was, but fans of these two teams tend to take their support seriously, so it’s still something of a shock to see those allegiances tested.
Now, Fletcher has admitted that he grew up supporting Celtic. The former Scotland international was born near Edinburgh, but spent time with Celtic Boys Club as a youngster.
The 36-year-old was a regular with Manchester United before spells with West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, racking up 80 caps for Scotland.
He has though admitted that he actually spent more time around the Rangers setup, and ‘would have signed’ for the Gers if he was to join any Scottish team.
Fletcher reiterated that he is a Celtic fan, but he just loves to see Scottish football thriving – and that’s why he wouldn’t close the door on Rangers despite his Celtic allegiance.
“To tell you the truth, I grew up a Celtic fan but I probably spent more time playing with Rangers and loved being around the Rangers youth set up. More than likely if I had signed for a Scottish club I would have signed for Rangers, believe it or not.”
“If it came to it I would say I’m a Celtic fan, I’m not hiding behind that, that’s there to be seen but at the same time I’m not everything against Rangers. Rangers doing well in Europe, I love seeing it. I loved their Europa League run this year. I’ve been in England for so long I’m probably more of a Manchester United fan than anything,” he added.
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