Darren Fletcher- Man Utd, Get Well Soon

DARREN FLETCHER

It was December last year when the news came out that Darren Fletcher was suffering from debilitating condition ulcerative colitis.  It was clear and a bit of a puzzle why, in the previous season he did not look quite himself in some matches and lacked his usual energy.  Impressively he was still able to perform to an adequate level.  As time moved on it became clearer still, that he was indeed suffering, watching him you could see that he had lost a-lot of weight.  News from the club at that time was that he was suffering from a virus.  More time passed and after pokings and proddings into his private life including accusations of taking performance enchancing drugs/banned substances.  Darren Fletcher's hand was forced and he allowed the club to share what it was that was keeping him out of action.  The diagnosis of  ulcerative colitis a devastating one.  Very dangerous for him and a life altering condition.  Later reports emerged and it is a condition that he has been managing for 3 years.

Darren Fletcher is a player who's career I have followed very closely.  He is one of my favourite players in the game.  He captains Scotland and came through the youth ranks at Manchester United.  Due to laws in Scotland he couldn't join United until he was sixteen, however the club had a great deal of influence before he made the move permanant.  For a number of years he spent school holidays playing and training with the club.  Though the story may not be completely accurate he is noted to be one of the few players to have visited the home of Sir Alex Ferguson.  This was supposedly done when as a youth he had travelled down for a trial but didn't get a chance to play for whatever reason.  Ferguson then invited him and his father to visit and subsequently arranged for him to play at a later date.

I love his passion, dedication to United and the game.  With United being involved in so many big games, he has frequently been one of the standout/key players in those and certainly one of the first names on the teamsheet.  He gives his all and is an excellent professional.  Those who have worked with him be it managers or players regularly sing his praises- none moreso than Craig Levein, present manager of the Scottish NT.  Below is a quote which echoes this.

 

"You need players like Fletcher in your team. He’ll often go unnoticed by fans, but you can bet his team-mates know exactly how valuable he is to the side." Sammy McIlroy


I have really missed watching Darren Fletcher both in a Manchester United and also a Scotland shirt.  It is a great pride having a Scottish player, playing for such a fantastic club.  A favourite player of mine, I do hope that he makes a good recovery.  Would love to see him return to the game he loves.  Andy Mitten: author, journalist, founder of UWS is a big admirer of Fletcher's.  He was impressed just how much Fletcher loved the game, something of a football geek.  It is not always the case with professional players.  There were even murmurs amongst the United support of him being a perspective captain at one point.  Been a miss for United that is for sure, they haven't had a player who plays his role in midfield and it has been an area of weakness for the team in red.