FA and players in talks after Ferdinand row

The Football Association will hold talks with leading England players next week in an attempt to draw up international selection guidelines following the problems that stemmed from the dropping of Rio Ferdinand.

Brendon Batson, who has been asked to lead the review, will head the FA delegation along with Trevor Brooking, the FA's new director of football development, and the executive director David Davies.

In Manchester on Monday they will meet leading England players, understood to include Gary Neville and David James, although it is not yet clear whether England's captain, David Beckham, will return from Spain. It is hoped that agreement can be reached, at least in principle, by the time England take on Portugal in their next friendly in just over a month.

Batson has spoken to figures throughout the game, and former England captains, such as Bryan Robson, Gary Lineker, David Platt and Alan Shearer, could become involved. The former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt, who was on the PFA management committee for 12 years, has also been consulted.

Mabbutt said: "Hopefully, at the end of the whole process, there will be greater clarity and consistency in the rules governing the selection of England players. Much of the confusion over the past few months has been due to the grey areas which have existed in certain disciplinary areas. If the players had known the guidelines in advance, there may not have been any dispute. However, some matters have been decided on an ad hoc basis and that has led to problems.

"Every side's view is being taken into account. It is a question of being fair to the players, while retaining the integrity and reputation of the national game."

The selection issue arose when Ferdinand was suspended from England duty last October after missing a drugs test. The players threatened to strike as they felt he had been punished before being charged.

Later Alan Smith was called up and then dropped from the squad for the friendly against Denmark after he was arrested for throwing a plastic bottle back into the crowd during a Leeds match. The Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the matter.

The FA's chief executive, Mark Palios, insisted that a clear set of guidelines be drawn up to ensure the England squad's faith in FA procedures. Palios, who - like Sven-Goran Eriksson - will not attend next week's talks, appointed Batson to head the review.

The key questions include whether players should be barred from selection after being arrested, charged or convicted, and whether serious alleged offences, such as rape, should be treated any differently from non-violent crimes.

An FA spokesman said: "People at all levels of the game have been spoken to with regard to international selection criteria. This process is continuing and will include people with different levels of experience throughout the game. We are looking to establish a clear policy on international selection. The England coach and players will, of course, be fully involved in the consultation process."