United pair to face Fulham
09 Aug 2006 - 12:26:26
Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes will be free to play in the club's Premiership opener against Fulham despite their recent dismissals during the Amsterdam tournament.
The pair were given straight red cards during the win against Porto last Friday and could face three-match bans after the Dutch Football Association decided to report the offences.
However, any suspension could not start until 14 days after the FA receive the report and the English game's governing body is still to hear from their Dutch counterparts, meaning the pair are free to play against the Cottagers on August 20.
United are likely to appeal against any suspension imposed, as Liverpool pair Steven Gerrard and Neil Mellor escaped without bans after being sent off during the 2003 Amsterdam Tournament.
Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are set to miss the start of the season because of injury problems.
Ferdinand is taking longer than expected to recover from the twisted ankle he suffered in Amsterdam, while Vidic is still some way from being fully fit after picking up a knee injury during Serbia & Montenegro's disastrous World Cup campaign.