Darren Fletcher says it is a "relief" to talk about his illness

Manchester United's Darren Fletcher says it is a huge "relief" to talk about the severity of his illness in public for the first time.

The midfielder has revealed the true extent of the debilitating condition that has disrupted the last three years of his career.

After initially noticing a problem in 2008, it was not until two years later that it began to have a detrimental impact on his life and career and in 2011 he was diagnosed with chronic bowel disease ulcerative colitis, external.

Fletcher said he is delighted to be back playing football after undergoing successful surgery and is keen to "make up for lost time".