Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that star striker Wayne Rooney is focussed on their Champions League game against Basel on Wednesday, and will not be distracted by his international appeal to Uefa, which happens the next day.

The England international will meet up with Fabio Capello and FA executives in Switzerland after the midweek game, and will have his appeal for the red card he received against Montenegro for The Three Lions heard on Thursday.

With Rooney handed a three-match ban after the dismissal and now in line to miss the entire group stages of Euro 2012 if his suspension is not minimised, the attackers inclusion in Capello squad may be in doubt should there not be a favourable outcome.

Despite this, Ferguson feels his forward will not be effected whilst playing the Swiss Champions.

“I don’t think that comes into it at all. He has a game tomorrow. An important game,” he told reporters ahead of the fixture.

The current Premier League champions need a point to ensure qualification to the knockout rounds, and is keen to avoid a similar performance to that in the corresponding fixture, which saw Basel come back from 2-0 down to almost beat the English team.

“There was obvious complacency in the game when it went 2-0. We showed a lack of discipline in the second half.

“Fortunately we managed to waken up late in the game to get a result which has maybe rescued us in this section.

“The pressure won’t affect us. Look at the number of big games these players play in.

“Every year for the last few years they have been involved in finals and semi-finals and quarter-finals and big games in the Premier League. Tomorrow is exactly the same situation.

“It is another big game, but we have a strong squad and that squad will see us through without question,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out of the fixture through injury, so Danny Welbeck is in line to return to the starting XI alongside Rooney.

By Gareth McKnight

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