The Portsmouth connection behind Premier League operator making surprise League Two switch as Sheffield United and former Blackburn Rovers man moves

The midfielder agreed a deal with Chesterfield until the end of the season this week, after leaving Blackburn in the summer following his arrival at Ewood Park in February.

That followed on from Fleck spending eight years with Sheffield United, where he made four top-flight appearances last term following on from 62 previous outings for the Blades at the highest level.

The 33-year-old linked up with Paul Cook’s side in pre-season, as he looked to maintain his fitness ahead of the new campaign.

Cook, of course, guided Pompey to the League Two title in dramatic final-day fashion in 2017, with the likes of coach Gary Roberts, Tom Naylor and Michael Jacobs part of the current Spireites set-up.

It was another Pompey champion who was central to the move, with Enda Stevens a team-mate of Fleck’s at Bramall Lane and offering a reference for Cook.

Fleck told the Derbyshire Times: ‘I live in Sheffield and got in contact with Paul (Cook) and the staff, they let me come in and train and it has led to me being here now.

‘It was initially with a view to keeping up my fitness, until about the second day U think, when I spoke to the manager to see if there was an interest in me staying.

‘I was a free agent in the summer and was just initially looking to keep myself as fit as possible and recover from an injury.

‘I have kept myself ticking over the whole summer, but it can be difficult to keep up fitness levels when you are working on your own. I was doing some boxing training over the summer and had people to work with some of the time.

‘I'm obviously very close with Enda, who was close with Paul and Gary Roberts during his time at Portsmouth.

‘I spoke to him about the move and Enda told me how they operate. As with most managers, it's just about hard work and if you give 100 per cent you can't go too far wrong.

‘The manager has got plenty of experience around him, who have been involved in great levels of football. I will just keep working hard and play my game.

‘I feel great now and I will keep getting fitter and fitter as I go. I have only trained for just over a week so match sharpness will probably take some time, as it always does, but I'm available for selection and we will just wait and see.’