The striker counts Hibs, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves and more amongst former clubs.
A Hibs favourite of the past is not willing to hang up his boots just yet, as the former Sunderland and Wolves man provides the latest on what’s next.
The transfer market is entering August with several clubs still looking to bolster their ranks. There are also players keen to make sure their futures are set up and one of those is Steven Fletcher, who left Wrexham at the end of his deal with the ambitious Red Dragons, owned by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Fletcher is 38 and turns 39 next year but is packed with top level experience. He started out at Hibs, scoring 52 goals in 189 games before heading down south to Burnley. The forward racked up more than 100 appearances for Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, also finding the net with Wolves, Stoke City, Marseille and Dundee United over his career.
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What comes next for ex Hibs, Sunderland and Wolves star
Speaking on The Warm Up, the forward says he is not ready to stick the retirement label on him just yet, but his big hope is still to be involved in football somehow. He believes he could have made a difference for Wrexham in the Championship following their promotion from League One, having played just shy of 200 games at that level plus 189 in the Premier League.
Fletcher said: “I would like to stay in football in some way. I am on the coaching journey and have done that. I have enjoyed helping people at the end of my career so if I can do that, but I am not 100% sure I am finished yet. It’s scary to push that button and say that’s me because as soon as you put it out there, I don’t want to be that guy who puts it out and three weeks later you are back. I think it’s because of the way it ended at Wrexham. I felt I could have played, help them, even in the Championship. I think I could have.
“They are on the phone to you constantly. If I go through my WhatsApp with Ryan Reynolds it’s just video after video. I went through a little patch last season where I was coming on with 20 minutes to go and three games in a row I scored the winner. I’d get in the changing room, go on my phone and the first message wasn’t my wife, it was him! As soon as I scored he’d be straight on and send me a video. It was brilliant. You’d know it was coming so you’d be going in the dressing room waiting on it and there it was, he was texting you.”
Steven Fletcher on time at Hibs
The striker also discussed time at Hibs, where he broke through in the era of Tony Mowbray’s exciting side. He added: “It was a great group and I was the youngest of them all. They all looked after me. Steven Whittaker was probably the one looking after me the most, you probably couldn’t have Scott Brown looking after you!
“It was good. Broony was my strike partner at the time, he was the striker and I used to get a half day off school to go and play with them and I was up front with him. He wouldn’t let anybody kick me to be fair. I think when Tony Mowbray came in, he drove it (mentality change). We went into games thinking we were going to win this, it’s the way he set us up.
“I openly admit, when I was at Hibs I wanted to sign for Celtic. Strachan tried to sign me in the January and Hibs wouldn’t let me go. At the time I was (gutted). I got told I could go in the summer, Hibs just didn’t want to sell me in the January. But then Owen Coyle phoned me and that was it. I was off to Burnley.”
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