Soccer News:Gabriel Heinze faces the distinct possibility of being frozen out at Manchester United because of his aggressive pursuit of a transfer to Liverpool. Alex Ferguson is so appalled at the defender's conduct that there are misgivings within Old Trafford about whether the Argentina international should be considered for first-team action for as long as the dispute remains unresolved.

Heinze is so desperate to leave Manchester he has appointed Liverpool's own solicitors, Hill Dickinson, in an extraordinarily confrontational move that has left Ferguson and several others at Old Trafford feeling badly let down.

The manager intends to talk the matter through with his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, before they decide whether Heinze is in the right state of mind to play any part for the club when their title defence opens at home to Reading on August 12th.

The likelihood is that the defender will not have any involvement after a period that has sorely tested the relationship between player and manager.

Ferguson will not be happy that Heinze's solicitor, Richard Green, wrote to the Premier League yesterday asking for an arbitration panel to be set up to decide whether United were wrong to block the player's move to Merseyside. Green wants the league to act within the next fortnight and will argue United reneged on an official agreement.

"The matter has been referred to us by Gabriel Heinze's solicitors," a spokesman for the league confirmed, although there was no indication if the authorities would agree to intervene or, indeed, of the length of time it might take for the process to be completed.

Heinze has instructed his legal team to do all they can to conclude the matter before the transfer window closes at the end of August. Whether that is possible remains to be seen but the legal implications, combined with United's refusal to do business with Liverpool, suggest it is highly unlikely there will be a quick outcome.

"That will take years," a bullish Ferguson said when informed that the league had been asked to resolve the argument, and the United management are openly confident of winning any legal case. Liverpool, too, are aware that United are in the stronger position legally.

The key piece of evidence for Heinze is a fax, signed by United's chief executive, David Gill, and sent to the player's agent this summer, saying he could leave if United received a bid of €10.1 million. Although the club seemingly went back on this agreement when Liverpool came in for the 29-year-old, United will argue that they have a far more significant piece of paper in the form of a legally binding contract that ties Heinze to Old Trafford for another two years.

United's lawyers will also state that the club were perfectly within their rights not to sell to one of their key rivals and that Heinze's advisers were informed of this at the time.

Heinze has been on an extended break because of his involvement in the Copa America and will not meet Ferguson until next week.

"He is due back to training next Monday and once we have a meeting with him his position may become a little clearer," said Ferguson. "As far as the Premier League are concerned, they can do what they like. We are quite confident in our position."

Ferguson is still waiting on another Argentinian, Carlos Tevez, and the manager described as "slightly frustrating" the delays in securing the forward's transfer.

"I am not worried because I am confident the player will eventually arrive," he said. "But it has been dragging on and it has become a bit frustrating.

"At the moment it is going to the high court. I am sure we will get a final decision on the matter there. If something happens before that it is something we would welcome."

Ferguson's confidence that Tevez will go to Old Trafford was underlined when he sold young striker Giuseppe Rossi to Spanish side Villarreal yesterday.

Rossi's future had been the subject of intense debate for most of the summer after an impressive loan spell at Parma at the end of last season. Another striker likely to leave United is Alan Smith. He is due to open negotiations with Newcastle, as Everton wait in the wings.