Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson can see Liverpool failing to meet UEFA's new quotas rule for Champions League clubs. The United boss is supportive of UEFA's bid to implement a system which forces clubs to include at least five home-grown players in their squads.

He said: "Even Arsenal are starting to bring one or two young English players through.

"But then you look at Liverpool. I am told that 70 players played for their reserve team last season and that over 30 of them were Spanish. That's an amazing number.

"They will definitely struggle to meet UEFA's requirements with that kind of Spanish influence."