An illness that robs Darren Fletcher of his strength, his energy, his vitality, seems to be the cruelest fate. It strikes at his defining quality, the vigour that carried him from Mayfield, a council estate near Dalkeith, into the very heart of Manchester United's esteem. Even in dealing with the ulcerative colitis that has caused him to take an extended break from the game, Fletcher's instinctive refusal to succumb compromised his health as well as his fitness. He would not concede until he had no choice.
Darren Fletcher has become a role model in the national squad
