Sir Alex Ferguson expressed concern yesterday upon learning of plans to bring forward the start of next season's Barclays Premier League campaign for the benefit of Fabio Capello's England squad. The FA is looking into the possibility of starting next season's league campaign as early as August 8 so that Capello will be able to spend up to six weeks with his squad before the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa - assuming England qualify - but Ferguson believes that the plan is a non-starter.

“I would have concerns about that,” the Manchester United manager said yesterday. “Next year there are international matches, World Cup qualifiers, as late as June 10. You can't have it both ways - matches as late as June 10 and then starting the season on August 8. Two months seems to be very narrow in terms of giving players a rest factor and preparing them for a new season. It's not a lot of time.”

A short summer is to be expected every other year, when the World Cup and European Championship take place, but the idea of a curtailed close season next summer is certain to divide opinion. The 2010 World Cup finals are scheduled to start on June 11, running until July 11, and, if Capello is to have 5 weeks with his squad before that, the Premier League campaign would need to be over by May 4, hence the plan for an early start.

Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach, claimed in 2006 that the five-week build-up he was permitted with his squad before that summer's World Cup finals was the optimum preparation time. Ferguson has stated in the past that his preference is to give his players a minimum of four weeks off between their final match of one campaign and the start of pre- season training. With clubs seemingly unwilling to sacrifice their lucrative long-distance pre-season tours, the demands on players are increasing.

Ferguson's frustrations with the international football calendar are well known, with Dimitar Berbatov out for seven to ten days with a hamstring injury sustained during Bulgaria's 6-1 defeat by Serbia on Wednesday. Ferguson also confirmed that Wes Brown faces five weeks out after an exploratory operation on his injured ankle.