Soccer

United's Robin van Persie to miss Liverpool match

Dutch striker has been ruled out with the groin injury that saw him sit out the heavy defeat to City

Robin van Persie of Manchester United in the stands prior the defeat to Manchester City. The Dutchman will miss the League Cup game against Liverpool this week as well. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Tue Sep 24 2013 - 14:21

Manchester United manager David Moyes has confirmed Robin van Persie will miss tomorrow's Capital One Cup third-round tie with Liverpool.

Van Persie sat out Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City with a groin injury.

And Moyes does not expect to have the Dutchman available until this weekend's Premier League encounter with West Brom at the earliest. "I don't think he will play tomorrow. He will have an outside chance for Saturday."

Wayne Rooney has suggested tomorrow's game is the ideal fixture to bounce back from such a shattering defeat. And it is clear Moyes has no desire to dwell on it. "It has gone now," he said. "I can't do anything about it.

READ MORE

“We have moved on and we get ready for the next game.” Asked whether Sunday’s performance shocked him, Moyes replied: “Yes. It did. But when you have been a football manager for the amount of time I have you are always going to have shocks.

“I have had lots and I have no doubt there will be more in the future. That is the way football is.”

With 10 players in his squad having less than the equivalent of a full game under their belts, changes are envisaged. Jonny Evans, Nani, Javier Hernandez, Wilfried Zaha and Rafael are the most obvious examples.

Not that Moyes is giving anything away. “It does if I want to,” he said, when asked whether the depth of his squad gives him the option to alter his line-up.

One change in the visitors' line-up is certain, with Luis Suarez returning after the 10-match ban he had to serve following the biting incident involving Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season.

Moyes and Suarez have not always seen eye-to-eye, with the Scot accusing the striker of being a diver last season and the Liverpool man responding with a swallow dive in front of the Everton dug-out when he found the net in last season’s derby.

“It means Liverpool have got a really good player,” said Moyes. “Does it change the complexion (of the game)? I am not looking at Liverpool too much. I just know the qualities of Luis Suarez are very good.”

LATEST STORIES