RUUD VAN NISTELROOY, the Manchester United forward, has spoken out against the club’s FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United being played in Cardiff.

The FA has confirmed that there is no chance of the match being moved, despite intense pressure from sections of the United support to switch the match to Elland Road, Leeds. Aside from the increased travelling costs and time spent trekking to the Millennium Stadium, critics argue that staging the semi-finals at the same venue as the Final devalues the competition.

Van Nistelrooy, who scored twice in last season’s Final win over Millwall, sympathises with that opinion, saying: “It is a shame the match is in Cardiff. I liked it how it was before, with the semi-final at Aston Villa or another neutral ground. Then the teams in the Final can enjoy the special feeling of going to Cardiff.”

With Newcastle expected to reach the Uefa Cup quarterfinals, the first leg of which will be played on April 14, it is likely that they will be given an extra day’s rest, so that their semifinal is played on Sunday, April 17. Arsenal’s semi-final, against Blackburn Rovers, would be played the previous day.

Edu, the Arsenal midfield player, is set to lead a summer exodus from Highbury after agreeing a pre-contract deal to join Valencia. He is said to have accepted a four-year contract to join the Spanish club on a free transfer at the end of the season after a protracted pay dispute with Arsenal.

The 26-year-old’s decision is a surprise, given that he had attracted varying degrees of interest from Barcelona, Inter Milan, Liverpool and Manchester United. Only last week, his brother and agent, Jean Gaspar, received a tentative approach from AC Milan.

Edu could be just the first of a number of high-profile departures, with José Antonio Reyes believed to be pining for a return to his native Spain and others, such as Jens Lehmann, Gilberto Silva and Robert Pires, potentially open to offers.

Lauren, the Arsenal right back, who signed a new two-year contract in January only after much haggling, is considering a return to international football with Cameroon. He retired after the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea but is heartened by the arrival of Artur Jorge, Cameroon’s new Portuguese coach.

Gilberto, the Brazil midfield player, could be included in the squad for the match against Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday after an encouraging comeback in the reserves on Monday night.

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