Steven Fletcher returned from illness in Sheffield Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Hull City (January 1), coming off the bench in the second half as Garry Monk was easing him back to fitness.
The 32-year-old was expected to sit out of Wednesday’s FA Cup third-round win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, but he started at the Amex Stadium and was forced off before the hour mark.
Monk’s side enjoyed a 1-0 victory to book their place in the fourth round against Queens Park Rangers, but Fletcher picked up a knee injury in the process. He suffered the knock following a challenge from Gaeton Bong.
With Fletcher having hardly played in weeks, Monk’s decision to start him may have been deemed an unnecessary risk. Fletcher has been a key player in Wednesday’s pursuit of the playoffs, so he may not have needed to feature in the FA Cup.
Nevertheless, Monk defended his decision and told Dom Howson of the Sheffield Star: “(Fletcher) needed the minutes. He has been missing for two and a half weeks and he needed the fitness.
“He played a small part in the Hull game and the plan was actually to play him for 60 minutes at Brighton. He came off but he didn’t come off how we expected him to come off.
“We spoke about it after the Hull game and we needed to build him back up. He had missed a lot of football and training. I don’t regret that (playing him).
“It was the right thing to do to build his fitness up after he missed a good period of games. It is just unfortunate that he ended up with that injury.”
Fletcher has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring and creating 14 goals. It’s worth noting that Wednesday haven’t won a league game that the Scotland international hasn’t started in, so Monk will be desperate to have his striker back in time to face Leeds United (January 11).
