.jpg) Fleck lining up forScotland in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Alexander Fleck[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-08-24)24 August 1991 (age 34)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Midfielder[4] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chesterfield | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2007 | Rangers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2012 | Rangers | 41 | (2) |
| 2012 | →Blackpool (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2012–2016 | Coventry City | 162 | (8) |
| 2016–2024 | Sheffield United | 256 | (15) |
| 2024 | Blackburn Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Chesterfield | 16 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2007–2008 | Scotland U17 | 9 | (3) |
| 2008–2010 | Scotland U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Scotland U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Scotland | 5 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 February 2025 (UTC) | |||
John Alexander Fleck (born 24 August 1991) is a Scottish professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forEFL League Two clubChesterfield.
He began his career withRangers, making his senior debut in 2008 aged 16,[5][6] and later spending a period on loan toBlackpool. In 2012 he transferred toCoventry City, remaining there until 2016 when he joined Sheffield United, helping the club achieve two promotions in three years, moving up fromLeague One to the Premier League. In February 2024, Fleck joinedBlackburn Rovers before signing forChesterfield later that year.
Fleck was born inGlasgow and was brought up in the city'sYoker (Langy) district;[5] he was educated atKnightswood Secondary School.[7][8] His uncle, formerScotland internationalRobert Fleck, played forRangers,Chelsea andNorwich in the 1980s and 1990s.[9]
Fleck began his career in the Rangers youth teams;[5] he played in their 5–0Scottish Youth Cup victory overCeltic on 26 April 2007.[10] On 12 July 2007, Fleck was called up to take part in the full squad pre-season tour of Germany,[11] and made his debut for the first team againstSV Lippstadt 08 on 15 July 2007, becoming the first 15-year-old to play for the first team sinceDerek Ferguson[12] in 1982.
On 25 August 2007, just a day after his 16th birthday, Fleck was included for the first time in the Rangers first team squad for a competitive match againstKilmarnock. He made his competitive debut on 23 January 2008 in theScottish Cup game againstEast Stirlingshire[13] and made his league debut on 22 May in the final league game of the season againstAberdeen. Two days later, Fleck became the youngest ever player to play in a senior British cup final,[14] by appearing as a substitute in the2008 Scottish Cup Final againstQueen of the South.[15] He gained his first start for Rangers againstFalkirk on 17 January 2009, earning the man of the match award for his performance.[16] Five days before this,The Times had placed Fleck seventh in their Top 50 Rising Stars of football list.[17]
Fleck scored his first competitive goal in a 2–0 league victory overDundee United atIbrox on 31 January 2009.[18] The goal was a 78th-minute penalty, awarded afterMihael Kovačević's challenge had brought Fleck to the ground. Fleck's talent, precocious performances, technique, vision and work-rate led him to be heralded by some in the media as "Scotland'sWayne Rooney".[19][20]
It was reported in August 2009 that Fleck had been dropped from the Rangers first-team after a training ground "bust-up" with the assistant manager,Ally McCoist.[21] On 26 March 2010, Fleck signed a new three-year contract.[22] That summer, he had a strong pre-season but then suffered a hamstring injury early in the campaign which hampered his progress.[23]
With first team chances in short supply at Rangers, Fleck agreed to move toSheffield United on a season-long loan at the end of the 2011 summer transfer window[24] but the deal subsequently fell through as the paperwork was not completed before the deadline.[25] In January 2012, having appeared to have seized a fresh chance in the team at Rangers a few weeks earlier,[6] Fleck signed forChampionship clubBlackpool on loan, despite renewed interest from Sheffield United.[26][27]
In June 2012, Fleck lodged an objection against hiscontract being transferred to the newco set up byCharles Green.[28][5]PFA Scotland had previously commented that players were entitled to becomefree agents if they objected to the transfer.[29]
On 4 July 2012, Fleck joinedLeague One clubCoventry City after he rejected his Rangers contract being transferred to the new company.[30] Rangers were reported to have a sell-on agreement, meaning they would be entitled to a percentage of any transfer fee Coventry subsequently received for the player.[31] Fleck scored his first Coventry goal in a 4–1 loss away toShrewsbury Town from the penalty spot on 18 September 2012.[32] He struggled to gain a regular starting spot in the team during his first season at the club, particularly during the reign ofMark Robins, although he went on to make 35 appearances and scored three times.[33]
The arrival ofSteven Pressley as Coventry City manager in March 2013 saw Fleck regain a starting spot in the Coventry City line-up, starting every game of the remaining 2012–13 season in a deep-lying central midfield role. Fleck remained first-choice for the following season which Coventry City played atNorthampton Town'sSixfields Stadium[34] and played a key role in the team as they overcame a 10-point deduction to mount an unlikely play-off push for the first half of the season.[35]
Fleck struggled for form in the remaining months of the 2013–14 season but started the following campaign well, putting in a strong performance as the team beatGillingham 1–0 to mark the club's return to Coventry in September 2014.[36] Fleck signed an 18-month contract extension in January 2015 to keep him at the club until the summer of 2016.[37]
Fleck saw another upturn in form at Coventry City in the 2015–16 season where under the management ofTony Mowbray he was encouraged to play a more forward-thinking role in the team, aided by the defensive support of midfield partnerRomain Vincelot. Fleck's importance to the team was described by Mowbray as being 'the oil in our machine' as theSky Blues rose to the top of the League One table.[38] Fleck was rewarded for his improvement in 2015–16 by being awarded the club's player of the year award by both the fans and his teammates at the club's end of season awards.[39]
Fleck signed a three-year contract with Sheffield United in July 2016.[40] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 win overChesterfield on 13 November 2016.[41] On 8 April 2017, Fleck scored a late winner against Northampton Town at Sixfields Stadium – the fans reacted by running onto the pitch to celebrate promotion. On 15 April 2017, United were crowned League One champions and promoted to the Championship. On 22 September 2017, Fleck signed a new four-year contract with the club to keep him atBramall Lane until summer 2022.[42]
Fleck has won thePlayer of the Year award twice whilst at Sheffield United, once in the 2016–17 season (tied with teammateBilly Sharp) and again the next year.[43]
On 28 April 2019, Fleck saw his second promotion in three seasons with United, this time to thePremier League, the club returning after a 12-year absence.[44]
On 22 February 2020, Fleck signed a new three-year deal.[45] He was a key player for the Blades in their return to the top flight, playing 30 games, as he helped his side to a surprising ninth-place finish. He scored 5 goals in his maiden Premier League campaign, netting against the likes ofManchester United andArsenal and scoring both goals in a 2–0 home win overAston Villa.[46]
After just 4 league appearances for Sheffield United in the first half of the2023-24 season, with his only start being in a damaging 5–0 defeat to fellow promoted sideBurnley, Fleck joinedEFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers on 1 February 2024 on a deal until the end of the season.[47] Fleck made his Blackburn debut in a 2–2 draw againstPreston North End on 17 February, a game in which he had to come off injured after 17 minutes. The shin injury sustained in this match subsequently kept him out for the rest of the season.[48]
He was not named on Blackburn's retained list for the upcoming season, although the club made note that they are in ongoing discussions with his representatives.[49]
On 10 September 2024, Fleck joinedLeague Two clubChesterfield on a contract until the end of the season.[50]
On 19 June 2025, the club announced he had signed a new contract.[51]
After playing for Scotland atunder-21 level, Fleck was called up to the Scottish senior team for the first time in November 2018.[52] He did not play in that match, and had to decline an invitation to join the squad in May 2019 as it clashed with his wedding inAyrshire, arranged two years earlier when he seemed far less likely to be involved with the national team.[53]
On 10 October 2019, Fleck gained his first senior Scotlandcap in a 4–0 defeat toRussia inMoscow.[54]
In May 2021, Fleck was named in the 26-man Scotland squad for the2020 European Championships. While on pre-tournament training camp, Fleck tested positive forCOVID-19.[55]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rangers | 2007–08[56] | Scottish Premier League | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008–09[57] | Scottish Premier League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2009–10[58] | Scottish Premier League | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3[c] | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
| 2010–11[59] | Scottish Premier League | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[60] | Scottish Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 41 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 58 | 3 | ||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2011–12[60] | Championship | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Coventry City | 2012–13[61] | League One | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | 42 | 3 |
| 2013–14[62] | League One | 43 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 2014–15[63] | League One | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[64] | League One | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| Total | 162 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 182 | 8 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2016–17[65] | League One | 44 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 49 | 4 |
| 2017–18[66] | Championship | 41 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 44 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19[67] | Championship | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20[68] | Premier League | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2020–21[69] | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[70] | Championship | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[g] | 1 | 39 | 2 | |
| 2022–23[71] | Championship | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24[72] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 256 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 278 | 16 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2023–24[72] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Chesterfield | 2024–25 | League Two | 16 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| Career total | 483 | 25 | 28 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 527 | 27 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | |
Rangers
Sheffield United
Individual
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