United believe Heinze appeal will fail

A three-man panel on Tuesday ruled the letter signed by chief executive David Gill indicating United would be willing to sell at a price of £6.8million did not constitute official approval for Heinze to leave.

In their summing up, the panel also suggested the wording of the letter made it clear United were willing to do business only with an overseas club - reinforcing the positions of Gill and manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who have been unequivocal in rejecting Heinze's request to become the first player in more than 40 years to leave Old Trafford for Anfield.

Heinze was expected to appeal against the verdict at some point on Wednesday, which would only further antagonise his club.

However, given the forceful nature of the Premier League's findings, United are confident any challenge will meet with the same conclusion.

"We are pleased that the panel has endorsed our case," said a Manchester United spokesman.

Instead, it seems they will attempt to get Heinze's representatives to consider letting the player move somewhere else - with French champions Lyon currently the most likely option.

Given the current situation, it is impossible to imagine Heinze ever playing for the Old Trafford outfit again - even though he still has two years of his current contract still to run.

United fans have been lining up to condemn Heinze, and the player is aware an appeal comes with a red warning light.

The 29-year-old, who attended the hearing along with Gill and Ferguson, knows that United would have 14 days to respond to any appeal - a timescale they could use to effectively freeze Heinze out of the game altogether, because their reply may be delivered after the August 31 transfer deadline.