ENGLAND masseur Steve Slattery poured scorn on newspaper talk of a rift between Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven Goran Eriksson after the furore that surrounded the national team's 1-1 friendly draw with Portugal at Villa Park.

Skipper David Beckham and midfielder Paul Scholes were withdrawn from the squad by Ferguson due to injury seven days before the clash, only for the latter to play a part in United's 1-0 win over Middlesborough four days later.

Ferguson's true motives have been called into question in many quarters, but Slattery, from Highworth, reckons Eriksson and the United chief have a perfectly normal working relationship.

He said: "The bits I know about have been blown out of all proportion. Sven and Sir Alex have a good relationship and keep each other informed as to exactly what is going on. I was chatting to a couple of the Manchester United lads on duty at the weekend and they said Paul Scholes was really in a bad way after their game last weekend.

"He looked unlikely to play against Middlesborough, but trained on Sunday and was fit for the game. If you have Paul Scholes in your squad, then you have to pick him.

"David Beckham and Scholes would never want to miss an England game and Sir Alex couldn't stop them if they wanted to play. It is down to them at the end of the day.

"Becks has a calf-cum-shin splints problem and hopefully he'll be fit for their Champions League game next week. But Becks in not one to miss the opportunity of winning another cap for his country. I know that for a fact."

Alan Smith's first half header gave England the lead, only for Costinho to equalise for Portugal with 12 minutes go. The England boss was roundly criticised following the draw, particularly over the number of substitutions he made in the second half of the clash.

Said Slattery: "There is no pleasing the press. The manager is the type of guy who want to try different things in these friendly matches.

"He will have seen players on the training field as well and has the sessions videos so he can assess different things about them.

"It was a good exercise and there were lots of positives to come out of it."

Although the younger players involved in the clash grabbed the plaudits, Slattery was delighted that Gareth Southgate was rewarded for his patience with a starting spot.

Said Slattery: "It was great to see Gareth winning his 50th cap, that is a great achievement for any player.

"He never got his head down when he wasn't playing during the World Cup and as always there to give the younger ones some words of advice."

Four members of the medical team that worked alongside Slattery at the World Cup were notable by their absence last week.

Arsenal doctors John Crane and Tim Sonnex left their roles with the national squad, while Alan Smith cut his ties with England.

But the most controversial departure is that of Dutchman Richard Smith, the masseur who claimed in a Sunday newspaper to have been unfairly sacked from his role by the FA after performing a crucial role during the World Cup campaign.

The masseur's staggering wage demands are thought to be behind his exit from the England camp, and former sidekick Slattery was taken aback by his swift departure.

Said Slattery: "The Richard Smith thing is quite surprising. There has been a lot of press about his financial demands, but I don't know whether they were the real reasons for the change.

"We had a Swedish doctor called Leif come in this time and he was a delightful man and got involved with all aspects. Richard Smith was a very, very good therapist but we still have a really good team including Gary Lewin, Terry Byrne and Rod Thornley."