Tony Pulis: West Brom captain Darren Fletcher needed a break
Tony Pulis claims Darren Fletcher was dropped for Albion’s 1-0 defeat to Leicester because the skipper was in need of a break.
Fletcher was left out of the starting XI for a Premier League for the first time since joining the Baggies in January 2015, a run of 86 matches.
The 33-year-old’s is yet to agree a new deal at The Hawthorns, after rejecting the one-year extension he triggered earlier in the season.
But Pulis insisted the captain’s absence from the team had nothing to do with any lingering uncertainty over his future.
“Fletcher has been a little bit down on his stats and I just felt it was right to give him a little bit of a break,” said the boss.
“We're hoping that (the contract) will be sorted out in the next couple of days or weeks. It's nothing to do with that.”
Fletcher was introduced as a 69th minute substitute but was unable to prevent the Baggies falling to a fourth straight defeat, as Jamie Vardy’s first half goal proved the difference between the two sides.
