Craig Levein hails return of Darren Fletcher

SCOTLAND manager Craig Levein has hailed skipper Darren Fletcher as an inspiration to the rest of the squad as he nears his international return.

The midfielder made his comeback following a chronic bowel complaint for Manchester United against Galatasaray in the Champions League last month and made his first start against Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup last week.

Speaking in the first episode of the SFA’s new magazine show, Scotland United, Levein said: “I just have huge, huge admiration for the boy, to know what he has gone through, to see his resilience, his bravery and his absolute determination to play for Scotland.

He’s been on the phone over the summer and he’s itching to play and get back involved. He trained with us for a few days before the Australia game at Easter Road and it was great to have him back in the group. He’s a great example to any football player.

“Getting him back, for me in a selfish way, is a great thing for me and for Scotland. The person that I’m most happy for is Darren. He’s the one who’s had to grit his teeth at times and get through it and get himself back to this point where he’s on the fringes of coming back into the team again.”

Levein, who will today name his squad for the double-header away to Wales then Belgium, added: “I certainly wondered if we’d ever get him back in a Scotland jersey.

“Playing for Scotland means that much to him that he’s fought his way through this illness. He’s a talisman. He has a presence about him that has a calming effect on the rest of the squad. He can’t be anything else other than inspirational for the rest of the group. He’s a fantastic football player – but a really good human being as well. I want good people who are honest, hard-working, who want to do their best for their country and who turn up for every single opportunity they get to play.”