Fletcher Won't Be Rushed

David Moyes believes Darren Fletcher is on the road to recovery having made his football comeback earlier this week, though the Manchester United manager is wary of rushing him back into the first team at Old Trafford.

Fletcher was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in December 2011 and has been largely sidelined ever since. The 29-year-old did make a brief comeback last season - playing in 10 matches for United and three for Scotland - though that return was put on hold to undergo surgery in January.

Encouragingly, after months of recovery, the Reds midfielder made his long-awaited return on Monday via a 67 minute outing for the Under-21s, contributing to a 2-2 draw with Fulham at the AJ Bell stadium. And after the match, Fletch revealed his ambition to “get back in the manager’s plans and help on the pitch.”

But speaking during his weekly press conference at the Aon Training Complex, Moyes was understandably cautious when quizzed on his Scottish compatriot. “It was his first time putting on a jersey in a competitive game, so we certainly won't be rushing Darren,” the boss explained.

“His training has been coming along, he's looking much better in himself and is looking stronger every day. But we won't rush him. We don't want any setbacks with him coming back so we'll take our time but it's great to see him back playing.”