The Carrington training complex was eerily quiet this week as players made a mass exodus to link up with their national teams all over Europe. Most are helping their countries in the efforts to qualify for Euro 2012, while others had to travel further afield. It’s a price that has to be paid when the squad contains so many internationals from all over the world. For the sake of anyone wondering what destinations the various Manchester United lads have been heading for, here’s a complete list of their schedules.
England – Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand vs Montenegro (Home) Tuesday 12 October
Scotland – Darren Fletcher vs Czech Republic (Away) Friday 8 October vs Spain (Home) Tuesday 12 October
Republic of Ireland – John O’Shea, Darron Gibson vs Russia (Home) Friday 8 October, vs Slovakia (Away) Tuesday 12 October
Northern Ireland – Jonny Evans, Corry Evans vs Italy (Home) Friday 8 October, vs Faroe Islands (Away) Tuesday 12 October
Serbia – Nemanja Vidic vs Estonia (Home) Friday 8 October, vs Italy (Away) Tuesday 12 October
Portugal – Nani vs Denmark (Home) Friday 8 October, vs Iceland (Away) Tuesday 12 October
South Korea – Ji-sung Park vs Japan (Home) Tuesday 12 October
Mexico – Javier Hernandez vs Venezuela (Home) Tuesday 12 October
England Under 21 – Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck vs Rumania (Home) Tuesday 12 October
Italy Under 21 – Federico Macheda vs Belarus (Home) Tuesday 12 October
That’s a hell of a lot of players on international duty but if you think that they’re faced with all those air miles, spare a thought for Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Tim Cahill (Everton), David Carney (Blackpool), Richard Garcia (Hull City) and Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough) who have all flown to Australia for a FRIENDLY game against Paraguay in Sydney on Saturday! They will then be faced with a return trip to England for club commitments next weekend. Now that’s what can be called long haul flying.
Do you welcome mid season international matches?
