John Fleck reveals his Sheffield United injury lay-off was caused by a broken back

Now, though, the midfielder feels in good shape and ready for what he sees as a “must-win” game for both the Blades and West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane on Tuesday.

The nature of the injury Fleck picked up playing against Slovakia in mid-October has not been revealed until now.

Such an influential player last season, the 29-year-old missed the crucial game against relegation rivals Fulham when his team picked up their first point of the season, but really needed three. He also sat out games against Liverpool and Manchester City, lost by the odd goal, and the more comprehensive defeat at Chelsea.

Now, though, he feels his form returning.

“I certainly feel as if I'm getting better,” he said. “I fractured a few bones in my back with Scotland and it took me some time to recover.

“I don't think injuries can really be an excuse, I've not played as well as I did last season, that's not through injury, I don't know why that is. If I could answer that I would have changed it a few months back.

“I feel as if I'm starting to play better and I feel as if the whole team is as well.”

Form and morale has improved at Bramall Lane on the back of four wins in the last six matches in all competitions. Even the performance in Saturday's narrow 1-0 defeat at Manchester City – where Fleck was inches away from converting a late chance to equalise – was encouraging, although the positivity was undone somewhat by unexpected wins for Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion, stretching the gap to safety to 13 points.

The mood at West Brom, four points and one place higher in the Premier League, is much gloomier after one win in 12 games in all competitions which have coincided with a change of manager, but not fortune. Whereas the Blades have been able to take heart from how competitive most of their defeats have been, the Baggies have been on the wrong end of some real hammerings under Sam Allardyce.

“I think both teams realistically have to win,” said Fleck, whose team's 1-0 November defeat when totally outplaying the Baggies at the Hawthorns in November was a real low point of the season.

“We're going into the game with the mindset we have to win.

“Probably every game's a must-win for us right now but I think it's a must-win game for both, certainly don't lose.”

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