Manchester United manager Sir Alex
Ferguson believes that international friendlies have become a
"worthless" exercise and labelled them "a waste of time" compared
with major championships.
In the wake of England's wave of withdrawals ahead of Tuesday's
friendly with Ghana, Feguson claimed that friendlies are devalued
by players not turning up for international duty.
"I am all in favour of the competitions. The players should play
in the major competitions; the European Championship, the World
Cup,'' Ferguson told US digital station Sirius XM.
"But friendlies are a waste of time as far as I am concerned. We
always say that. It is understandable for the coach. They have the
players for a period when they can influence them and can build and
shape their team.
"I can understand that completely. But every time there are
friendlies you get six or seven call offs. It is sometimes
worthless for the manager to build on that because of the lack of
players.''
The irony of Ferguson's comments will not be lost on most
football onlookers, as the United boss has developed a reputation
over the years for pulling players out of friendly matches more
regularly than most.
He nervously watched the weekend's international programme
unfold as the likes of Wayne
Rooney,
Javier Hernandez, Nani, Antonio
Valencia, Patrice
Evra and Jonny Evans turned out for their respective
countries.
But there were no fresh injuries to worry the Scot, who is
preparing his players to fight for silverware on three fronts in a
packed run-in.