One of Manchester United’s most consistent performers will miss out on the season’s finale after failing to overturn his dismissal against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final.

 

Darren Fletcher was harshly - some say wrongly - sent off at the Emirates when he appeared to win the ball in a challenge with Cesc Fabregas. However, UEFA allow no appeal against such red cards apart from on the basis of mistaken identity. A United spokesman said: "Darren is an honest player and we felt we should do what we could to try and help him become eligible for the Champions League final. However, we respect the referee's decision and we will therefore not be appealing against the ruling."

Fletcher was on the bench for last years final but didn’t make it onto the pitch.

Carlos Tevez is still no closer to settling his future after manager Sir Alex Ferguson declined to comment on the subject. "I'm not going into that at all," Ferguson said. “Nothing has changed. He's a Manchester United player. The fans love him because they love triers." The Argentinian forward was the target of ‘sign him on’ chants during United’s weekend win.