LONDON - Manchester United’s star midfielder Darren Fletcher is ready for the crucial game against Chelsea and has made sure that he’s big enough by building up his muscles so he can match any midfielder pound for pound.

Chelsea will face the Scottish star tomorrow, who has undergone extra gym work to beef himself up for the tough life of the Premier League.

“Doing weights is a big thing for me now, whereas before it didn’t seem to have much effect,” The Sun quoted Fletcher, as saying.

“It’s small percentages of improvement that help you become a better athlete and player. Fitness has never been a problem for me, but in terms of strength and power my gym work has made a real difference.

“Striking the right balance is important, too. There’d be no point in me bulking up if that was to the detriment of being able to get around the pitch,” he said.

“I wanted to get to a level where I had strength, but also the stamina to keep going over the 90 minutes. I think I could still put on more weight without affecting my fitness,” Fletcher added.

Fletcher is back for the top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge after returning from an ankle injury only last Tuesday in United’s 3-3 Champions League draw with CSKA Moscow.

Fletcher, 25, told Inside United magazine: “There’s a long way to go yet in the title race, but this game could be important psychologically. We know we’re capable of going there and winning. It won’t be easy, but we’ll go there with a game plan and the manager will have a lot of options for the side he wants to pick.

“It’ll be a great challenge at Stamford Bridge. They’ve got a great record there, but we are capable of going there and winning.” (ANI)