The Scotland midfielder has been absent since the defeat to Liverpool on March 6 with a virus, but made his return by playing 45 minutes in Thursday night's goalless reserve-team clash with Arsenal. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has previously indicated Fletcher would return immediately to his side when available as United look to wrap up the Premier League title and push for glory in the Champions League, where they lead Schalke 2-0 following the first leg of their semi-final. But Fletcher told MUTV: "That's nice to hear but the lads have done fantastic, it's going to be hard to get back in that team. "We're in a great position with a month left and I want to give the manager another option and play some small part." On his return, he said: "It's great to be back and get some minutes under my belt. "The plan was always just to play 45 minutes because I've been out for such a long time, I don't want to push too quickly and set myself back. "It was a bad virus, originally it was supposed to be a week and it escalated. I lost a bit of weight and when you have to put the weight back on it's a slow process, and what should have been a couple of weeks ended up being a lot longer." The 27-year-old would not be drawn on whether a first-team return against the Gunners this weekend was on the cards. "I'll see how I am," he said. "I don't want to rush it too quickly so I'll speak to the doctor and the manager, see how we're feeling and take it from there." Ferguson, meanwhile, has hailed his team's resilience as they chase success on two fronts. Marseille coach Didier Deschamps' claim, ahead of his side's Champions League meeting with United, that Ferguson's current vintage lack "fantasy" has clung to the team. But Ferguson told Inside United magazine: "It's not as if we've been devoid of that. Some of the football we've seen from the players this season has been terrific. "This team might not have the (Cristiano) Ronaldo factor, but they don't understand the word defeat. They're determined, gritty and very professional, and they've produced some great moments. "We know we've got some hard games left. We look forward to the challenge, though. It's important to keep momentum going by winning games. That's vital. "Draws don't come into it now, it's all about wins. We've got a big few games coming up and we need to win them."
