BILLY McKinlay is facing surgery after his World Cup adventure with Scotland and it could force him to miss the start of pre-season training with Blackburn Rovers, writes PETER WHITE.

The midfielder has been carrying a groin injury which needs attention and, although he was able to finish the Premiership campaign and will make the World Cup finals, it will eventually require an operation.

But manager Roy Hodgson is optimistic that McKinlay will not be out for too long.

"He might miss the start of the pre-season that's for sure," said Hodgson. "He has a slight groin problem that needs sorting out.

"Basically, it should be three to four weeks and if he gets it done quickly enough, he will not miss too much."

If Scotland were to make an early exit from the World Cup, it would obviously be beneficial to Rovers - as McKinlay could then have the operation sooner rather than later.

But he is a fierce competitor, very fit and should make a quick recovery.

"Apart from that, we will be resting Damien Duff with his groin," said the manager.

"He is reporting with the Republic of Ireland next week, though I don't know if he will play. We are hoping he will be able to get six full weeks of good rest this summer."

Meanwhile, Rovers have yet to decide which road to take concerning a potential TV deal after qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup.

With seven English clubs in Europe, competition will be cut-throat and it seems likely at this stage that some could miss out on domestic TV cash.

ITV will have the Champions' League on Wednesday nights, Chelsea have already agreed a deal for their Thursday night defences of the Cup Winners' Cup and Leeds are understood to be considering a pay-per-view experiment for their UEFA Cup ties (Tuesdays).

Liverpool have clinched a deal for their UEFA Cup home games to be screened. Four clubs, including Rovers, are involved in the UEFA Cup and that could be increased to five if Manchester United fail to get through the preliminary round of the Champions' League.

In fact, it could even be extended to six as Crystal Palace will go into the InterToto Cup - aiming to qualify for the UEFA Cup - unless a club which finished higher in the Premiership applies before the June 2 deadline.

The networks can only take so much football and it might well come down to the most attractive draws, rather than all-inclusive deals.

Chief executive John Williams said: "There are a lot of teams in the hunt and it might be better to go for it on a match-by-match basis.

"That is something we have yet to decide."

Mr Williams, however, does not believe there will be any problems regarding selling Rovers' games for the overseas TV markets.

He confirmed they had already received inquiries and that should certainly be one area which will provide extra income.

Rovers are one of 24 clubs to be awarded a five-year operating licence for their youth academy.

They had to satisfy the FA that their facilities were of a high enough standard for youth development in both football and education areas.

The licences are a major step forward for the FA's Academy and Excellence programme, under technical director Howard Wilkinson.

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