Sir Alex Ferguson has told the three north-east, relegation-threatened clubs that he will not allow a weakened team to give Hull City an easy ride on Sunday. However, the Manchester United manager has attacked the timing of the game, claiming it could damage his side's Champions League quest.

Should Hull beat United on Sunday, they could stay up at the expense of Newcastle, Middlesbrough or Sunderland. All three clubs have distanced themselves from speculation that they could to launch a legal fight against United if they fielded a weakened team on Sunday.

However, just days before a Champions League final against Barcelona, they are aware that Ferguson will rest almost all his senior players to prevent any risk of injury.

"We have a league that has the best integrity in the world and we will play our part in that," said Ferguson. "No matter which team I play, it will represent Manchester United in the normal way.

"We are expected to win. We will go to win. That is the responsibility we always have."

However, Ferguson cannot see why this weekend's games could not have been scheduled for a Saturday to allow an extra day's preparation time.

"Barcelona are playing on Saturday night yet we have a full programme on Sunday when there is only one play-off game on the Saturday," said Ferguson. "England have had a team in the Champions League final for the last five years now, so it is not as though the Premier League were short of knowledge.

"They could easily have put the whole programme to a Saturday. That might have made the situation a bit easier. I still would not have played my strongest team of course but there may have been one or two who had played."

With Rio Ferdinand returning to training today in a bid to prove his fitness after a calf problem, United could have one current England player on duty, while Wes Brown's comeback from a long-term foot problem may well make it two.

So concerned is Ferguson about the way his club is being portrayed, he did contemplate ringing the respective managers to offer his reassurance, only to decide against it.

"No one should be unduly worried about our intentions," he said. "I was going to ring them, although eventually I dismissed that idea because they must know we will be doing our best.

"Ricky Sbragia worked here. He knows this club. He knows exactly what we will do. Gareth Southgate and Alan Shearer played against us many times. They know exactly what it is like against Manchester United.

"If we don't win on Sunday I will be slaughtered on Monday," he added. "It will be the worst thing that has ever happened to the British game. People will be complaining about me damaging the integrity of our league."