FA reassures Sir Alex Ferguson over Wayne Rooney Olympic fears

By Tom Witham

The FA has moved to reassure Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson that he will not be left without a host of his star players for the entire summer.

It has been reported that the Scot feared losing as many as ten players to the Olympic Games, with Team GB boss Stuart Pearce thought to have that many Red Devils on his provisional squad list of 80.

There were even claims that big name players such as Wayne Rooney could feature at both Euro 2012 for England and in London for Britain later in the summer.

Sir Alex was far from amused at such a scenario, with the Sun quoting him as saying: "It's a joke. This is serious because it's the start of the season and there are so many complications. It's ridiculous."

But the FA has moved to allay his worries about losing players to both major tournaments. In a statement, it said some of England's senior players are on the Olympics shortlist, but they will be removed as soon as they are selected to head to Poland and Ukraine.