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Ray Wilkins: 'I suffer from a bowel condition, not a drinking problem'

Ray Wilkins rejects rumours that he has a drinking problem by revealing that he suffers from the same bowel condition that hampers Manchester United's Darren Fletcher.

Ray Wilkins has revealed that he has the same bowel condition as Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, in a bid to dispel rumours of a drinking problem.

The 57-year-old, who was sacked as assistant manager by Fulham this week, was rumoured to have been under the influence of alcohol during the Cottagers' 3-2 defeat to Liverpool last Wednesday.

However, Wilkins, who was handed a three-year road ban after he was convicted of drunk-driving, has spoken out by claiming that he has chronic disease ulcerative colitis.

"I need to control the ulcerative colitis with strict medication, which I had not done before the Liverpool game," Wilkins told the Daily Mail. "That is the reason I didn't return to the dug-out after half-time as I needed to be close to a toilet.

"Unfortunately I can look the worse for wear but it is nothing to do with drink. I didn't want to make a fuss about my illness, I didn't tell Rene [Meulensteen].

"Darren Fletcher said how hard it was to tell his teammates, but I desperately want to carry on in football and there's no chance of that happening if everyone gets the wrong impression that I have a drink problem."

Wilkins has been suffering from the medical condition since 1990.

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It took almost 12 months, but Fletcher returned as a substitute, replacing Paul Scholes, against Galatasaray in September 2012.
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