More United woes as illness rules out Fletcher

DARREN FLETCHER put his own health at risk in order to help the Manchester United cause before finally admitting defeat yesterday.

United confirmed the 27-year-old will take a full break from the game in a bid to overcome the debilitating effects of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition.

The Premier League champions are not making public any potential timescale for Fletcher’s return.

However, merely by making a comment, Scotland manager Craig Levein offered a clear indication Fletcher would be missing beyond the next set of internationals at the end of February.

And, by linking Fletcher’s absence to that of United skipper Nemanja Vidic, who ruptured cruciate ligaments in Basle last week and will miss the rest of the season, Rio Ferdinand was seemingly suggesting the midfielder could be out for a similar spell.

Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: “We are going to miss 2 big players in Fletcher + Vidic, I hope they both come back fitter + stronger than ever.”

It would hardly be a surprise for Fletcher to be absent for the final five months of the campaign now the extent of problems that have been obvious since March have been revealed.

A statement regarding Fletcher, issued by United yesterday, said: “Whilst he was able to maintain remission of symptoms for a considerable period, this has proved more difficult recently and Darren’s continued desire to play and his loyalty to both his club and country has probably compromised the chances of optimising his own health and fitness.

“He has therefore accepted medical advice to take an extended break from the demands of training and playing in order to afford the best chance of achieving full remission once again.”

United’s statement added: “Over the past year he has had several absence periods which we have attributed to a viral illness in order to respect his right to medical confidentiality. Darren has, in fact, been suffering from ulcerative colitis for some time preceding this.”

Scotland manager Levein faces having to cope without his captain, and said: “I am obviously devastated for Darren because I know how hard he has worked to get back to playing regularly for his club and country.

“Darren has shown tremendous dedication and fortitude, demonstrated by his ability to overcome this illness and perform at the highest level.

“I spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson and Darren this week and the most important thing at this stage is for the player to be given time to rest and recuperate. He is a central part of our plans for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers but at this stage his health is paramount.”