 Ferguson's stance is sure to rile the Football Association |
Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson has indicated he may not release his stars for England's American tour in May. Referring to the friendlies against US and Colombia, Ferguson said: "It is not a Fifa tournament, so we're not obliged to send our players.
"We will have to assess who needs to rest and see who actually wants to go because players don't always want to.
"Players with clubs at the top of the league will have had a much harder season than others."
Six United players would be likely to be called into the squad if fit, including Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.
Coach Seven-Goran Eriksson would also select a number of representatives from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
However, should Chelsea or Liverpool reach the Champions League final on 25 May, their players would be unavailable.
And Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has already made his displeasure known at the prospect of losing two of his players - Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell.
Wenger said: "I cannot understand the logic of going to the United States."
Both Wenger and Ferguson have both questioned why England would go on such a tour after a gruelling season.
Especially as just weeks ago, Eriksson had his wish granted for a four-week break between the end of next season and the start of the World Cup.
Defending the decision, Eriksson said: "We wanted to play in May rather than use empty World Cup qualifying dates in June, to ensure the players have the chance to rest properly over the summer.
"It is a very good opportunity for me to be with the players for a week and to take a close look at some of the newer members of the squad."
MMIX
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