"PLEASE tread carefully" was the plea from Blackburn Rovers as the club prepared to allow several of their players to go on international duty this week.

Last month manager Graeme Souness was furious that Republic of Ireland winger Damien Duff played almost the whole game against Denmark just days before the key clash against Leicester City at Filbert Street.

Duff has again been called into the Irish squad but Rovers chief executive John Williams admitted: "We are looking to all international managers to show a bit of balance when they are playing our players.

"We know as a club that they love to play for their country and we are happy for them to do so. We want to have international players in our team.

"But at the moment our biggest concern is the players who will be going away on international duty next week. The club versus country row is an old one but it needs to be addressed.

"Sven Goran Eriksson agreed to keep players to only 45 minutes for England against Italy and while that might upset some fans I think it is a sensible approach."

Rovers will have a number of key players away from Brockhall next week including Duff, Turks Hakan Unsal and Tugay, Henning Berg, Keith Gillespie and goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

He has been named in the USA squad to face Duff's Republic of Ireland in next Wednesday's friendly at Lansdowne Road.

Friedel is a certainty to travel to Korea and Japan this summer as part of Bruce Arena's USA World Cup squad, but is battling Kasey Keller for the number one shirt, and the pair are named in Arena's squad together for just the second time this year.

Keller has thus far earned seven caps this calendar year whilst Friedel has one, against Italy in February, and the Rovers keeper will be hoping to get the chance to impress against the Irish next week.

Sources are reporting that Arena's 18-man squad for the friendly clash in Dublin will all travel to the finals in June, injury permitting, with a few more places up for grabs to fringe players, but Friedel's sights are firmly set on dislodging Keller from the starting line-up.

Williams is happy to see the club's players talents recognised but he claimed: "It is bad enough keeping players fit for our own games.

"We know it is a problem all clubs have to deal with and you will have someone like Matt Holland at Ipswich going away as well.

"But at this stage of the season it is especially worrying and we have got a tough schedule ahead of us after the international break. We have got three games in eight days.

"We need people to be as fresh as possible."

Having played FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea in midweek Rovers have this weekend off but then play at Middlesbrough, at home to Newcastle and then away at Everton in the next week.

"It is a worry for us but we have to cope," said Williams.

Having said that, following the outburst by Souness it would be a major surprise if Duff, for one, played more than a half.