Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that Manchester United will deserve to be censured should they field a weakened side against Blackpool – but only if they lose.

The United manager said he would be resting the bulk of his first team as they prepare for next Saturday's Champions League final with Barcelona. However, asked whether sending out an under-strength side was fair to the other four clubs who could be relegated on Sunday, Ferguson replied: "The only thing you should be criticised for is if you lose a game and it affects other teams. Then you should be put under scrutiny."

The most telling parallel is two years ago, when Manchester United were preparing for a Champions League final against Barcelona, having already won the Premier League. With Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland competing to avoid the final relegation berth, Ferguson sent a virtual reserve side to the KC Stadium.

Not a single member of the starting line-up that faced Barcelona in Rome began that game on Humberside and the Manchester United official yearbook confessed that "his left-back, Ritchie de Laet, will have been unfamiliar even to many United fans". Manchester United won 1-0.

"Gary Neville and Wes Brown were our only experienced players," said Ferguson. "There was no need to criticise the selection that time and on this occasion we will do the same again. We have got to make sure we win."

Ferguson added that it was "important to remember" that he had fielded a weakened side in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Schalke and had won at a canter. Sunday's line-up will be stronger than the team that played Hull. Edwin van der Sar will captain United on his final appearance at Old Trafford and Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov will start.

Ferguson became testier when reminded that on the final day of the 2006-07 season he had fielded an under-strength side against West Ham, who won through a goal from Carlos Tevez. That result ensured Sheffield United's relegation, prompting their then manager, Neil Warnock, to accuse Ferguson of "selling me a dummy when he indicated he would play a strong team". "For some reason Neil Warnock found it easy to criticise us," Ferguson said. "But if you watched that game that day, we battered West Ham and brought on Ryan Giggs, Scholes and [Cristiano] Ronaldo at half-time or just after. It was a bit unfair of Neil Warnock to accuse us of that. All Sheffield United needed was a draw in their own stadium and they still went down."

The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, confirmed no action will be taken over United's selection. "As far as weakened teams are concerned, the Premier League has only ever applied the rule twice when it's been an extreme case and somebody has changed all 10 outfield players and then the week after gone back and changed the 10 back again," he told BBC Sport. "That's not going to happen."

There are many who would not be surprised were Sunday to be Scholes's farewell to Old Trafford, although his manager argued the midfielder could still squeeze in another season, by which time he will be 37. "We will sit down and discuss it and, hopefully, encourage him to stay on another year," he said.