Fletcher to take extended break

Man Utd midfielder and Scotland skipper Darren Fletcher has taken medical advice to take an extended break from football.

His club revealed that the player has been suffering from Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition. He had been missing from the United side on a number of occasions in the last year due to what was thought to be a viral infection.

This is a bit of a blow to both his club manager Alex Ferguson and also his International boss Craig Levein.

When United were taking part in any major game in any major tournament he was often the first on the team sheet. He was then the life blood of the United midfield, and has been madly missed this season.

He did play in the twoScotlandgames at the start of the season but wasn’t the same player we had seen in recent times.

We can only hope he recovers fully and comes back as good a player as he was when this illness struck him down. There is no doubt he would be a major force in Levein’s plans to make the World Cup finals in 2012 inBrazil.