Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits he benched Wayne Rooney for their draw at Liverpool due to the UEFA ban. Ferguson told MUTV that he expected the punishment UEFA handed down on Thursday evening.

And ultimately, that was enough to trigger the decision to leave Rooney on the bench, although he was introduced in the second half as United fought back to claim a point.

"Wayne was devastated at the suspension," said Ferguson.

"He could miss the European Championships because there is no guarantee England are going to qualify (from their group). That is the nuts and bolts of it.

"England have found it very difficult to progress in major championships and for Wayne to get three matches, he could miss the whole thing."