Alex Ferguson had hoped the 21-year-old would return after the international break but Fletcher’s progress has been slower than he expected.

And the Scot revealed it could be a couple of weeks before he is ready for first team action again.

“Hopefully it won’t be too long,” Fletcher toldMUTV.

“I have been running for a few weeks but striking the ball has been a problem and a few little niggles have put me back. I don’t want to rush back too soon but I should start full training later this week and it shouldn’t take me more than a couple of reserve games to get me back in the swing of things.”