Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has refused to put a timescale on midfielder Darren Fletcher's return to action.

Fletcher, who has been suffering from chronic bowel condition ulcerative colitis for much of 2011, is now taking an extended break from football as he attempts to recover.

Meanwhile, the United boss has admitted that the Scot will be missed. However, he insists that the right decision has been made.

"The medical people have made the right decision," Ferguson told Sky Sports News. "They regarded Darren's health as the more important issue and we as a club agree with that.

"He's a loss – he's such a great professional and it's not easy to replace that, but we'll think about that. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery.

"It's obviously going to take a bit of time and rest is the most important thing at the moment. I can't put a timescale on it."

Fletcher, who sat out United's pre-season tour of America, had made ten appearances this season.