Darren Fletcher is closing in on a Manchester United return after getting through a reserves outing on Monday.
The 29-year old Scottish midfielder made his first appearance of the season by playing 67 minutes of United's U21 side's 2-2 draw with Fulham in Salford.
Fletcher has not played for the Red Devils seniors since Boxing Day 2012 because of a chronic bowel condition but is now on the way back and is looking forward to what's ahead.
"It's been a long time, so it's good to get back tonight. I've been training for a few weeks now and the next progression is to get some match-time. I enjoyed it," he told MUTV.
"The plan was to get to half-time and see how I felt, then get to 60 minutes and take it from there. Although I felt I could have gone on a bit longer, the plan was not to play more than that so I'm better sticking to the plan and not upsetting the sports science lads.
"They've been great, especially the doc Steve McNally. He's worked closely with me, getting myself right and back and the support from the club has been fantastic - from Sir Alex Ferguson to the new manager (David Moyes) and David Gill. Everyone at the club. I couldn't ask for anything better.
"It's been tough. Luckily, I've got a great family around me. They keep me going, keep me motivated and lift me when I'm down. All these factors contributed to me standing here today on the road to recovery."
