Roy Hodgson Prohibits Transfer Talk During World Cup
England manager Roy Hodgson will prevent the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United from completing deals for his players during the World Cup finals in Brazil.
Southampton pair Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw have been heavily linked with moves away from St Mary's and were both included in Hodgson provisional 23-man squad for the summer finals.
However, Liverpool and United will be forced to wait until after the World Cup, which finishes just days before the start of pre-season, to secure deals with the duo after Hodgson banned transfer talk from the start of their pre-tournament preparations in Miami at the start of June.
After playing Peru on 30 May at Wembley, England travel state-side for warm-up matches against Ecuador and Honduras before their opening group match against Italy on 14 June.
"I have made it clear to them already and I think they are perfectly happy with it. England is England and your club is your club. The two are not married together," said Hodgson.
"As far as I am concerned you sign up for this World Cup and you sign up to do a good job for England. Your club future is what it is and it will be taken care of outside of England time. That is basically all I can do.
"I was asked would you like all of this to be sorted before you go to Miami. Of course I would. It is not an ideal world and that might not happen but the one thing I am going to be very firm on.
"When we are together with England that is what matters and if you have anything to resolve you do it outside that time. I am thinking about medicals in particular. I can't stop phone calls.
"I am definitely not going to have agents swirling around or this player has got to leave the camp. I would expect the players to understand that."
Liverpool have reportedly lodged a bid for Lallana, who was nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award after a superb campaign on the south coast.
United have been continually linked with Shaw and are understood to have submitted a £27m bid for the left-back – a fee which would put him only behind Wayne Rooney as the world's most expensive teenager.
Though Liverpool earned qualification for the Champions League after finishing second in the Premier League, manager Brendan Rodgers has promised significant improvement to his squad ahead of the new campaign.
Meanwhile, incoming United boss Louis van Gaal is expected to be handed substantial funds to stage a mass overhaul at Old Trafford.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.