PHOTOS: Scotland Captain Darren Fletcher Suffers Gruesome Ear Injury in Win Over Slovakia

Scotland captain Darren Fletcher had his head bandaged up in his side's World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia after sustaining a nasty injury to his ear.

The Scots secured a 1-0 victory courtesy of Martin Skrtel's 89th-minute own goal at Hampden Park, and it was the former Liverpool central defender's clash with Fletcher that saw blood pour from the ex-Manchester United midfielder's ear as old rivalries were renewed.

There was so much blood that the 33-year-old questioned whether his ear was hanging off.

And speaking to the Scottish Sun, the Stoke player reflected on the elbow he took to the head from the Slovakian star: “In football now you can’t have blood on the pitch.

“My ear was hanging off a little bit so it definitely needed to be bandaged up or it would be have been flapping around. I signalled to my kids in the stand at the end making sure they knew I was OK. 

"When you see your dad go off with blood, you might be worried. I needed three or four stitches and some glue. It looks like I’ve been bitten by Mike Tyson! But I’ll be all right.”

Fletcher carried on and helped his nation move closer to a play-off place with a narrow win, in an encounter that also saw Robert Mak dismissed, and a crunch game in Slovenia awaits on Sunday.