Manchester United manager wants to keep players fresh for Premier League campaign

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he is considering leaving key players behind at Old Trafford when Manchester United jet out to Japan for the Fifa Club World Cup in December in a bid to avoid a domestic hangover from the prestigious two-game tournament.

United, who contested the 2000 Club World Cup in Brazil shortly after defeating Palmeiras to lift the Inter-Continental Trophy in Tokyo in December 1999, are aiming to be crowned world champions for a second time when they return to the Japanese capital in three months' time.

The European champions are due to play a semi-final tie before a possible final in Yokohama on December, but with the tournament being staged during a congested period of the Premier League fixture list, Ferguson is fearful that the debilitating effects of the lengthy round-trip could prove detrimental to United unless they adopt the necessary safeguards.

Ferguson said: "It's a new format from the last time that we went to Japan for the Inter-Continental Trophy in 1999.

"On that occasion, we went out six days before the game, but we came back immediately after the game on the Wednesday night and played in the league on the following Saturday. We were really worried about that, but we won 5-1 against Everton.

"When we come back this time, we will have three days before we play again on at Stoke Dec 26, so that has to be a concern. December is a very exacting month and we will have played a lot of games by that time.

"We have a good squad, though, and I may keep some players back to make sure that we have some fitness and freshness for the Stoke game. It's nothing definite at this stage, though."

United will be joined in Japan by Central American champions Pachuca, the Oceania champions Waitakere United and the Ecuadorian club LDU Quito, the surprise winners of South America's Copa Libertadore. The yet-to-be decided champions of Africa, Asia and Japan will also participate.

Despite the problems posed by the trip, however, Ferguson insists that United will be taking the tournament seriously.

He said: "We will leave immediately after the Spurs game on Dec 13, so that will give us nearly a week to prepare. We should be ok going out there, but coming back is the problem.

"It's a new experience for us, playing two games over there instead of one, so I don't know how it will impact on us."

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