Man Utd pair to miss England tour Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand will not go on England's summer tour to the United States.
Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson agreed to a request from Sir Alex Ferguson to rest Rooney from the games, against the USA on 28 May and Colombia on 31 May.
Ferdinand, meanwhile, is being allowed to recover from a knee injury following a gruelling domestic season.
Chelsea's John Terry and Frank Lampard are already out of the squad to undergo surgery on toe injuries.
And Liverpool pair Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard are in danger of missing out on the games, against the USA in Chicago and Colombia in New Jersey.
They are likely to want to attend a tour of Liverpool, planned for 28 May if they win the Champions League final against AC Milan three days earlier.
MISSING FROM THE TOUR
Man Utd: Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand (need rest)
Chelsea: John Terry, Frank Lampard (toe surgery)
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MISSING FROM FIRST GAME
Real Madrid: David Beckham, Michael Owen (club commitments
Bayern Munich: Owen Hargreaves (club commitments)
An FA spokesman told the organisation's official website, www.thefa.com: "This tour has always been an opportunity for Sven and the coaching staff to look at some new players a year before the World Cup in Germany.
"Next season, opportunities will be at a premium for Sven to look at new players - so he feels this is a great platform for some of the Premier League's bright young stars who have yet to become established in the England team.
"It will be an opportunity to play against non-European opposition the summer before the World Cup which nowadays is few and far between due to larger qualifying groups.
"Sven believes this is very important as we will expect to play teams from outside Europe in Germany - subject to qualification.
"The next opportunity for a tour will realistically not be until 2009, due to the large qualification groups for Euro 2008."
Ferdinand had earlier expressed his desire to join the England squad, but has pulled out because of injury.
Newcastle midfielders Kieron Dyer and Nicky Butt have also been troubled by injury problems which look likely to rule them out of the squad to be named on Thursday.
Real Madrid's Michael Owen and David Beckham, as well as Bayern Munich midfield man Owen Hargreaves, are not expected to join up until after the first game against the United States due to club commitments.
The England coach believes the tour can still be of great benefit, with a number of younger players now set to be given a chance to make their mark in the absence of so many established figures.
