In an attempt to allay concerns that the flow of English youngsters is drying up due to an influx of foreign players, Triesman is ready to begin drawing up plans to increase the number of Britons involved in the FA's flagship tournament.

"The FA Cup is directly within our domain and if we want to implement change we need to do that in conjunction with the Premier League and Football League," he said. "Whether there are legal restraints or not there can be a means of implementing an optimum number of English players participating in the FA Cup."

He added: "Sir Alex Ferguson has come out in support of this, stating his view that there should be more English players in major club competitions, and conceivably, there could be.

"Of course, it's very dangerous to try to enforce a minimum number of English players - but it can be achieved in ways other than enforcement."