WITH the number of foreign players in the Premier League continuing to rise, some would have you believe that the leading English clubs are not really representative of English football at all.

So why, when Manchester United take on Chelsea in the Champions League final this evening, will there almost certainly be nine English players on display?

The Premier League's 'big two' might boast overseas owners, but their collision in the biggest game on the European calendar will still be a recognisably English affair.

That is why, for all the failings of the national side, English football can still take considerable pride in its standing in the world game. And that's football as played by Englishmen, rather than merely football that is played in England.

Cristiano Ronaldo might have been Manchester United's talisman this season, but it is telling that Paul Scholes' name was the first to find its way on to Sir Alex Ferguson's team-sheet after last month's semi-final victory over Barcelona.

The 33-year-old famously missed out on a winners' medal in 1999 because of suspension, but there was little that was sentimental about Ferguson's desire to have him involved this evening.

Scholes' 25-yard winner against Barcelona confirmed the endurance of a talent that has arguably burned as brightly as any during the Premier League era.

Similarly, Michael Carrick has hardly been granted a free passage into United's first-choice midfield. He has earned it through a mixture of talent and determination, qualities that make him a match for almost any central midfielder in Europe.

Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney would make most international starting XIs, and while Wes Brown is hardly the finished product at right-back, his improvement this season has been considerable.

Five English starters is hardly a bad tally in a side that could complete a Premier League and Champions League double in Moscow, but United will not enjoy a monopoly on English talent in the Luzhniki Stadium.

For all that Roman Abramovich's seemingly endless supply of roubles has bankrolled Chelsea's renaissance in recent years, the Blues retain a homegrown core.

John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole - all London boys, all absolutely integral to Chelsea's pursuit of a maiden Champions League crown.

Along with Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, Terry and Lampard have been Chelsea's driving forces for each of the last four seasons.

Jose Mourinho might have provided a continental swagger before being succeeded by Avram Grant, but it was his two English 'untouchables' that elevated the club to the level of Premier League winners.

Ashley and Joe Cole have not been quite as instrumental, but they both figured prominently as Chelsea embarked on a sensational run in the second half of the season.

All four Englishmen will be involved tonight, as the whole of Europe witnesses the growing dominance of the Premier League.

That dominance does not come without its costs, but it would be wrong to claim that English football as a whole is not benefiting from the increased strength of clubs in this country. Locate a decent goalkeeper and another centre-forward, and you could form quite a team from the English talent on display this evening.