The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said that he is extremely happy with the reception given to the midfielder Darren Fletcher, who recently returned to first team action after almost a year out due to an irritable bowel condition.
The 28-year-old Scotland midfielder is regarded as one of the best players within the Manchester United squad, but he was diagnosed with a rare form of irritable bowel condition. This forced him to get an indefinite leave of absence from the club, with many not knowing his expected return date. Some even were pessimistic by saying that it is unlikely Darren Fletcher would continue playing football.
However, he has given Manchester United a major boost ahead of their aspirations to lift the 20th league title by returning to first-team action in the Champions League group stage encounter with Galatasaray on Wednesday night. He was given a standing ovation by the supporters after he came on as a substitute in the match. Manchester United won the match 1-0 after a single goal from the midfielder Michael Carrick. Following the match, the Manchester United manager said that he was extremely pleased by the reaction from the supporters for the return of the 28-year-old.
“The fans recognised what a tough time Darren has had.It was a mark of respect that they gave him a marvellous ovation. Being out of the game for a year, it took him quite a few minutes to really get going. He did one or two good things but he can only get better after this,” said the manager after the match. Darren Fletcher came on for Paul Scholes with only 11 min remaining on the clock. Manchester United thus opened the new group stage campaign with a win over a Turkish club, who have had various success at Old Trafford.
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