Manchester United have revealed in a statement that the midfielder Darren Fletcher will miss the rest of the season after undergoing a planned surgery in order to treat his bowel condition. The 28-year-old Scotland international has been one of the influential players for United over the years. However, he has missed the last one year of action due to an inflammatory bowel condition. He recently returned at the start of the season to the Manchester United first-team. Even though he has not been used in the Premier league often by the manager, Fletcher has been an integral part of the team in the second competitions.
However, he will miss the rest of the season after he has undergone a surgery that had been planned earlier. Fletcher last appeared for Manchester United in the 4-3 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day. United have said that they are extremely confident that the players will return to first-team action from the start of next season. Meanwhile, the Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has praised the midfielder for the commitment and pride he shows when it comes to playing for his country. The new manager will have certainly welcomed the presence of Fletcher for the World Cup qualifiers, but he is now going to be unavailable.
“Darren Fletcher will be unavailable for the remainder of this season having undergone surgery to resolve his ulcerative colitis condition. We wish to stress this was a planned procedure undertaken at the optimal time having achieved a period of sustained good general health, as illustrated by the fact that Darren has trained with the team regularly this season and been available for selection right up to the operation. This decision has been taken with our full support in the best interests of his long-term health and we look forward to him returning next season with this problem firmly behind him,” said the United statement.