Darren Fletcher is glad to see the return of the hairdryer

Darren Fletcher probably thought the days of the hairdryer treatment had gone when Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

But he’s preparing to embrace it again, having left Manchester United to sign for Tony Pulis at West Brom.

Fletcher ended a 20-year association at Old Trafford with his move to the West Midlands. He leaves United having won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and two League Cups.

But despite being pitched into a relegation dogfight, he is excited about this new chapter of his career.

Having battled against the debilitating condition of ulcerative colitis for the best part of two years, the Scotland midfielder didn’t want to spend his time on the bench under Louis van Gaal.

He had started just five of United’s 26 matches for the Dutchman, despite being fit and having been named as one of the club’s vice-captains last summer.

So, the thought of lining up in the thick of action for his new club this lunchtime at Burnley is very appealing.

“After everything I’ve been through, it was difficult for me not to be playing,” he says. “I’m a professional footballer and I want to play.

“Fighting the illness, what drove me on was the thought of playing again.

“I thought it would be at Manchester United. That’s not the case. It’s now here at West Brom.

“But when I was fighting on those, dark lonely days, the goal was that I was a young man and had worked all my life to be a footballer and I didn’t want to give up on that too early.

“Plus my twin boys were still relatively young, and they hadn’t see me play that much. These things were driving me on.

“Now I have this new challenge at West Brom and I’m really excited about my first game at Burnley.

“I just hope I can have a number of years of doing this, and can create a legacy at this club.

“I met the manager twice before I signed, and he was very straight.

“He told me what to expect from him, and told me if I’m not doing my job, I’ll be getting the hairdryer treatment.

“He left me under no illusions about what he expects his players to do. Great, I’m used to that. It pushes me on and drives me and I have enjoyed every single training session so far.”

Fletcher also hopes that a new lease of life will re-invigorate his international prospects.

With Scotland in a strong fight to qualify for Euro 2016, the 31-year-old wants to make it impossible for boss Gordon Strachan to leave him out.

And Fletcher is wise enough to know that a regular starting berth at West Brom is better than being a bench-warmer at United.

“Playing for Scotland was definitely another one of the reasons for the move,” he admits.

“When you come to a decision that you might fancy a new challenge, there are lots of factors involved in it, and that was definitely one of them.

“Scotland are looking forward to good times, and I’ve never played in a major tournament. We’ve started the group reasonably well, and we’re in a good position.

“So if I want to be a part of that and playing, I have to be playing regular football.”