- Ashley Fletcher looking forward to seeing Jonny Evans and Darren Fletcher on Saturday
- Hammers striker grew up alongside West Brom pair at Manchester United
- Forward says Hammers owe fans a performance after home defeat by Watford
Ashley Fletcher knows two West Bromwich Albion players who will certainly rise to the occasion when West Ham United visit on Saturday.
Albion captain Darren Fletcher and centre-half Jonny Evans were both seasoned first-team players as the striker came through the Academy ranks at Manchester United.
Scotland midfielder Fletcher played 342 times for the Red Devils, winning four Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League, while Northern Ireland defender Evans made 198 appearances and won ten trophies in his time at Old Trafford.
The culture at Manchester United is such that young players are taken under the wings of their senior squad-mates, and West Ham United striker Fletcher felt the benefit of the pair’s wisdom during his formative years.
On Saturday, the 20-year-old could come up against the duo when the Hammers visit The Hawthorns in the Premier League.
“Jonny Evans and Darren Fletcher were big influences to me,” he told whufc.com. “They always spoke to me and gave me advice and are really good professional footballers.
“They both played for Manchester United for I don’t know how many games, so they both have that Manchester United brand to their names, and they’ve gone on to have unbelievable careers with West Brom.
“I’ll look forward to seeing them, hopefully, and we’ll move on from there.”
While he may not start the game, as he did impressively at Manchester City a fortnight ago, Fletcher is set to be named in the matchday 18 again by manager Slaven Bilic.
The tall, strong, deceptively fast and skilful forward says West Ham will be doing everything they can to bounce back from last weekend’s humbling 4-2 defeat by Watford at London Stadium.
Already a favourite among the Claret and Blue Army, Fletcher says the Hammers owe their 2,700 travelling supporters a performance they can be proud of.
“I think we need to win the game and put in a performance for the fans and get them back onside, because they’ve been really good to us and stuck by us,” he said.
“It’s a testing time at the moment, obviously, but hopefully we’ll bounce back and get the result on Saturday.”