England

Manchester United's Darren Fletcher Credits Gym Work In Developing His Game

Scot lifts weights to improve build

Nov 7, 2009 5:32:18 PM

Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher

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Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher

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Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has attributed the development in his game to his new fitness regime.

The Scotland international has been more and more involved in Sir Alex Ferguson's first team as he has grown older.

As a result, Fletcher is now attempting to build himself into a player capable of covering every blade of grass, from penalty area to penalty area.

"Doing weights is a big thing for me now, whereas before it didn't seem to have much effect," he told The Sun.

"It's small percentages of improvement that help you become a better athlete and player.

"Fitness has never been a problem for me, but in terms of strength and power my gym work has made a real difference.

"Striking the right balance is important, too. There'd be no point in me bulking up if that was to the detriment of being able to get around the pitch.

"I wanted to get to a level where I had strength, but also the stamina to keep going over the 90 minutes. I think I could still put on more weight without affecting my fitness."

Jamie Dunn, Goal.com UK