Polski Sport

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has named Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher in the squad for the friendly match against Poland next month. After failing to qualify for the World Cup 2014, both teams will be concentrating upon building the team for the European Championship qualifying stages. The draw for the competition will be announced next week. Despite having several stars like Robert Lewandowski, Poland failed to make it to Brazil. Pressure is on their manager Waldemar Fornalik to deliver in this encounter.

Fletcher, who has missed the last two years of action due to an injury, recently returned to Manchester United’s first team. At 30 years of age, he still has a lot of time left in football. The Scotland captain is regarded as one of the finest players for the national team. Strachan said that it is extremely good news for Scotland to have Fletcher back in the squad. The missed him heavily during the World Cup qualifying campaign. The 30-year-old is one of the highly experienced players within the squad at dealing with top level games.

Strachan has said that he will make sure that the team is in top notch condition by the time the qualifying campaign for Euro 2016 kicks off. Scotland have failed to qualify for recent major tournaments. Their last appearance in a major tournament was the 1998 World Cup that was held in France. Neighbouring countries like Republic of Ireland have featured in major tournaments like the Euro 2012, which raises the pressure on Scotland even further.

“It was wonderful over the Christmas period to see him back playing football. We have got to take it a stage further. I’ve seen him playing and he has lost none of his enthusiasm, which he will never lose. To have him back in the squad is terrific,” Strachan said.