I think so. I also think the underlying desire for intimacy can go both ways, although it's more rare in the other direction, because it requires a man to have relatively high sexual worth.

I generally like female friends because the dynamic is familiar - my household had only women in it. On average, most men lack emotional depth, and the ones with fragile egos tend to jockey for position in local hierarchies and are disappointed in me not wanting to participate, which I find annoying. Also, most men don't like it when I tease them which tends to be one of my favorite things to do to people. Women also tend to be way better listeners and more malleable, so it's easier to sync with them rather than letting a dude talk at me nonstop.

To the question, I'd only call a female friend a friend if I wouldn't be intimate with her in whatever context we are friends in - regardless of how desirable I found them to be - and I think that liking the way your friend looks is a bonus if anything. That kind of nuance is lost and probably not available to people without self control though. That said, there's also a large population of people that are cheats and sneaks inherently, so it's best to at least consider the worst occasionally when evaluating male-female relationships.