Hartlepool United and ex-Middlesbrough youngster looking to bounce back with successive England youth call up

Fletcher was named in the England Under-18s squad last month after an extensive trial process.

It is an even more impressive achievement for the Middlesbrough-born midfielder because he had to miss every England game last season when he had to spend seven months on the sidelines following surgery on his knee.

Fletcher will join up with the squad for a couple of friendlies, building up to Centenary Shield games against Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in March and April.

The call-up was the perfect boost for an 17-year-old who had just been told earlier in the day that he wasn’t going to be receiving a contract at Sunderland following a ten-week trial.

Fletcher said: “I was gutted last year when I got injured but I was positive about it. I knew I could play another year for England Schoolboys. The aim was to be fit again and get in.

“I feel different this year. Last year I was younger so I wanted to stand out as a young lad; this time it is about taking responsibility and leading by example. I want to get a contract somewhere off the back of it.

“I’ve had set-backs over the years, like the injury, and on the same day I found out about my call-up this time I found out I wasn’t staying at Sunderland.

“Rather than be disappointed, I knew it was a great ten weeks. I got minutes against sides including Manchester United and Blackburn. I have learned so much and I know I can play at that level.

“I have never been embarrassed to talk about the set-backs because in the long run they have given me the drive to keep pushing on to play at the levels I know I can play at because I have already had a taste of it.”

Oscar was also released by Middlesbrough when he was 14 after seven years playing for the Championship club’s academy.

After his GCSEs he enrolled on a Full Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching & Exercise Science at Hartlepool College, which also provides a pathway to play for Hartlepool United.

That has led to him being named in the England squad having impressed during trials, including captaining and scoring for the north against the south at Telford last month.

Oscar said: “My focus is on being a footballer and the College has helped me enormously to keep me up to speed with my work – especially when I was on trial full-time at Sunderland.”

And Oscar’s approach to the classroom as well as the football pitch has not gone unnoticed.

Former Hartlepool and Doncaster winger Ian Clark, Hartlepool College’s high performance coordinator, said: “After the disappointment of last year, when he gained a place in the squad only for him to get injured and need an operation to repair his meniscus, makes this particularly pleasing.

“For any student to gain a place in the squad two years running is very good but to gain a place after the setbacks shows the resilience Oscar has.

“We look forward to watching Oscar make his competitive England debut this year in the Centenary Shield.”