Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is hoping a
pain-easing injection will delay the need for ankle surgery until
next summer.
The Scot returned to action after a month on the sidelines in
Tuesday's six-goal thriller with CSKA Moscow in the Champions
League.
It should mean Fletcher will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on
Sunday, when United attempt to depose the current Premier League
leaders.
However, the Scotland star knows he will still be experiencing
an element of discomfort from a long-standing injury he aggravated
against Sunderland last month, which he accepts will eventually
consign him to surgery.
"A bit of bone has broken off the back of my ankle and stuck out
about an inch," he revealed.
"Every time I bend, it is causing a bit of pain so I have had an
injection to clear it up for a while.
"It should be okay to the end of the season but the plan is to
get me through to the summer and then do something then."
Scotland's failure to qualify for next year's World Cup Finals
in South Africa provides the perfect gap for Fletcher to have the
operation.
"I have had it for a couple of years now and the build-up of
fluid and other medical things the doctors know more about than me
has been constantly aggravating it," he said.
"Striking a ball or bending the ankle in a flexed position or
pushing off it hurts.
"It got to the point where it was too sore to train and play.
Something had to be done and I had the injection."
It would seem certain Fletcher will be one of the first names on
Sir Alex Ferguson's team-sheet on Sunday.
Certainly, United missed Fletcher's battling qualities against
Liverpool a fortnight ago, with the hole his injury left proving
just as troublesome to fill as it did in Rome last May, when
Barcelona ran riot in the Champions League final.
Ferguson is unlikely to leave his team similarly exposed at the
weekend now Fletcher is a proven top-class performer.
For a player whose early days in the Red Devils' first-team were
dismissed rather crudely, the plaudits that have followed recently
must sound nice.
But Fletcher insists he is not taking them too seriously.
"I take the compliments with a pinch of salt," he said.
"I enjoy these matches as much as anyone and I put pressure on
myself to perform more than anyone does.
"The challenge of playing against the top-class players that
Chelsea have is one I look forward to and I will be doing my best
to win the match.
"But I am not going to make or break a game like this."