Intertoto a no-go for City

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce has ruled out the possibility of entering the Intertoto Cup.

Everton and Middlesbrough have already confirmed their intention to enter UEFA’s much-derided summer competition, which has been revised in an attempt to make it more attractive for potential participants.

Pearce also gave the matter some thought but after discussing the issue with City’s board, he has opted not to pursue the opportunity.

“Basically, the squad is not big enough,” said the Blues chief. “If we had gone into the Intertoto, we would have had to organise our whole pre-season around it. If we had gone out, that is our pre-season out of the window and we cannot afford that.

“We do not want to take our eye off the ball in terms of the Premiership, so we have decided not to enter.”

It means City must look towards their league position and the FA Cup for the chance to qualify for Europe.

Pearce’s side still have an outside chance of forcing their way into the top six, but their best opportunities appears to lie in knock-out combat, with City aiming to reach the sixth round for only the third time in 25 years by beating Aston Villa on Sunday.