Two days before Manchester United takes on the Chicago Fire in an international friendly, United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave the media an update on the health of central midfielder and 2010 vice-captain Darren Fletcher, who missed a large chunk of last season and suffered substantial weight loss after contracting a bad virus in late February.
The illness forced him to miss United’s preseason schedule.
“He’s recovered from the virus he’s had for quite a few months. And as you know some of these things do take time. He’s been into Carrington (training facility) for the last few days. He’s doing a weight program at the moment, so hopefully by the time we get back, he’ll be joining us,” Ferguson said of the current captain of the Scottish national team.
In other Manchester United news,
players Ji-Sung Park and Patrice Evra will learn how to make world famous Chicago-style deep dish pizza at The Original Gino’s East of Chicago (162 E. Superior just off Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611) on Friday, July 22 in advance of the Herbalife World Football Challenge match between the Chicago Fire and Manchester United at Soldier Field on Saturday, July 23 at 4:00 p.m. CT live on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes.
The two Manchester United stars will step into the kitchen to make authentic deep dish pizza at The Original Gino’s East, one of Chicago’s most renowned pizza restaurants. Following the making of a couple of Chicago’s favorite pies Park and Evra will write their names into the stucco walls of the flagship restaurant in downtown Chicago.
A retired South Korean international, Park Ji-Sung played 100 matches for his country, appearing in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals before retiring from international soccer earlier this year. The most accomplished Asian footballer of all time, the speedy winger has made 117 appearances for the Red Devils since joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2005 and this year became the first Asian player to appear in a UEFA Champions League Final.
A veteran of 35 international matches for France, defender Patrice Evra played for Les Bleus at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. An accomplished left back known for pace and athleticism, Evra has appeared in 169 league matches for United since joining from Monaco in 2006, at times serving as captain for both the Red Devils and his country.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Walter Football.com, and Fox Sports You can follow him on Twitter