‘I was stuck in bed for two weeks, but now I’m raring to go’

Today, a capacity crowd of more than 50,000 at Hampden will witness his return as Scotland captain on an occasion that will see him equal the caps tally of two of his most illustrious predecessors in the role, Billy Bremner and Graeme Souness.

Having completed just one senior competitive 90 minutes in the last six months because of a debilitating and as yet not fully explained viral condition, Fletcher can hardly claim to be ideally prepared for the intensity of such a high-profile fixture.

But the 27-year-old is confident he merits Scotland manager Craig Levein’s faith in him, insisting he would not be leading the team out against Czech Republic in this afternoon’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier if he harboured any doubts about his readiness for the task.

“If I didn’t feel I was capable of doing myself and the team justice, then I would not play,” said Fletcher. “The next two games, against the Czechs and then Lithuania on Tuesday, are too important and too significant in terms of our chances of reaching the finals. So if I didn’t feel I was capable, then I would hold my hands up, say I wasn’t ready and that someone else should play for the benefit of the team. But I am fine and raring to go. I feel more than fit enough to play in both matches. I had a fantastic pre-season at United. It was decided I should miss the American tour and stay at home to concentrate on getting fit with a fitness coach. It was intense one-on-one stuff. I’ve now had two full reserve games, which I felt great in.

“Coming into this first competitive match, I’m obviously relying on my experience to get me through it. That will be vital, knowing what to expect and having been there before.”

Fletcher certainly looked healthy when he met the media yesterday, albeit a little different as he is currently sporting a full beard and moustache.

“I’m just showing that I can grow more hair on my chin than Wayne Rooney can on his head,” he grinned.

The levity was an indication of how well the midfielder feels within himself. There is also a measure of relief after emerging from an illness which at times left him both drained and bewildered.

“We still don’t really know what was wrong with me,” he said. “The symptoms started just before we played Liverpool at the start of March. I just didn’t feel well, lacked energy. It was a bad virus that led to a stomach infection and had a domino effect which put me out for longer than expected.

“The biggest thing was the weight loss. I lost about a stone, which is a massive amount for me. Building my strength back up and putting the weight back on was a real struggle and made it even more difficult to get back.

“I was stuck in bed, unable to get around, for two weeks at one stage. I had constant reassurance from the doctor, who was great throughout it all, that it was just a bit of bad luck, to go down with a combination of things. So I never feared for my career, or anything like that.”

Fletcher was able to play against Blackpool in United’s final league game of the season on 22 May but although he earned a place on the bench for the Champions League final the following week, his recovery was far from complete.

“Maybe I rushed myself back to try and get involved in that game,” he said. “But I didn’t have any setback in the summer as has been suggested. I ate as much as I could, which isn’t natural to me, took protein shakes and meal replacement drinks. I did that throughout the close season and actually reported back for pre-season overweight. That was fairly pleasing in the circumstances and I was spared the fine you would normally get.”

Manchester United’s impressive start to the season leaves Fletcher facing a considerable challenge to regain his place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and he hopes his involvement with Scotland can enhance his claims.

“Sir Alex wants what is best for United first and foremost,” said Fletcher. “He sees this as a chance for me to play in two more games, he sees it in a selfish way that it is going to make me fitter for United. But obviously he always wants Scotland to do well and he feels I can play a part in that.”

This is Fletcher’s fifth qualifying campaign with Scotland, three in the European Championship and two in the World Cup, since he broke into the squad seven years ago. He says he senses a greater demand than ever for the national team to finally break their long sequence without an appearance in a major tournament finals.

“I think we are under a bit more pressure than usual because of the Scottish clubs’ recent European results,” he added. “There is a bit of doom and gloom around up here and hopefully we can bring a feel-good factor back to the Scottish football.

“The players are all up for it. Everyone is raring to go and I said to some of the other more experienced lads in the squad yesterday that the quality at training this week has been the best I’ve ever seen while with Scotland. It’s all one and two-touch stuff, quick passing and high in tempo. Everyone is comfortable on the ball and it’s a great standard.

“The team have made progress since last year, although competitive games are totally different to the friendly matches. We need a big performance on Saturday. It will hopefully be one of those games, like we’ve had in the past on a Saturday at Hamdpen, when the players and supporters combine and rise to the occasion.”