Rio Ferdinand, as expected and as feared by the player himself, has been left out of the England squad to face Turkey at the weekend as the row over his drug test fiasco rumbles on.
PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor revealed this morning that he had been told by the FA at the weekend that the Manchester United defender would not be named in Sven Goran Eriksson's squad for the crucial trip to Istanbul.
And when Sven finally announced his squad this lunchtime, sure enough, the name of the former Leeds and West Ham man, who now faces an FA inquiry after failing to take a drug test after the recent Manchester United-Arsenal game, was missing from the list.
Such was Manchester United's anger at the way the FA had handled the affair - naming and shaming Rio before the hearing next week - that Sir Alex Ferguson had threatened to withdraw all his players from the England squad in protest.
That, fortunately for England coach Eriksson, has not been the case but events of the last 24 hours have left a bitter taste in the mouth and Gordon Taylor has revealed the bitter disappointment the United camp, especially the player himself, is feeling.
"Rio and his colleagues at United, especially the manager, are very upset that he has been left out of the squad because Sir Alex was told that Mr Eriksson would select his squad on footballing terms," said the Chief Executive.
But the England coach has clearly been told by his Football Association paymasters that he could not include Rio Ferdinand whose place in Eriksson's starting XI will now almost certainly go to John Terry, who will partner Sol Campbell.
Michael Owen, despite only being considered 50-50 after his weekend injury, is named in the party but there's no place for Darius Vassell as the other striking places have gone to Emile Heskey, James Beattie and Wayne Rooney.
THE FULL SQUAD
James (West Ham),
Robinson (Leeds),
Walker (Leicester)
P Neville (Man Utd),
G Neville (Man Utd),
A Cole (Arsenal),
Bridge (Chelsea),
Mills (Leeds),
Campbell (Arsenal),
Terry (Chelsea),
Upson (B'ham City),
Beckham (Real Madrid),
Lampard (Chelsea),
J Cole (Chelsea),
Hargreaves (Bayern Munich),
Butt (Man Utd),
Dyer (Newcastle),
Gerrard (Liverpool),
Scholes (Man Utd)
Owen (Liverpool),
Heskey (Liverpool),
Beattie (Southampton),
Rooney (Everton).
