Moyes admits United need new blood

Manager looks at January transfer window after shock 2-1 home defeat to Swansea

MANCHESTER: David Moyes, the increasingly beleaguered Manchester United manager, admits he urgently needs to buy new players in the January transfer window but confesses that it may not be possible to do so.

The Scotsman was talking in the wake of another major disappointment for his club as United, record 11-times winners of the FA Cup, were knocked out at home in the third round by Swansea.

The 2-1 defeat marked United’s fourth home loss in their last six games at Old Trafford and just the second time in 29 years that the club has been knocked out in the third round of the competition.

Moyes only brought in Marouane Fellaini after taking over at Old Trafford in the summer and with every growing setback, pressure is mounting on him to improve a squad that is looking well beyond par and which was without seven injured first team players on Sunday.

“I said I would try but I would be doubtful in January because of the window,” said Moyes of his efforts to sign new talent this month.

“So there is no point in me hyping it up because the players we would like to bring in are probably not available in January, and not because we don’t want to do it.”

Moyes refused to use the absence of key personnel as an excuse for a defeat which also featured a goal for Wayne Routledge and a quick United reply from Javier Hernandez.

“That is no excuse,” he said. “We had a very strong team out, just about every player we had out was an international player.”

Salvage job for United in League Cup semis

Manchester United will turn to the League Cup to salvage their desperate domestic season when they visit Sunderland on Tuesday for the first leg of their semi-final.

Although United remain in contention in the Champions League, the League Cup now represents their best hope of rescuing a trophy from a campaign that threatens to turn into an outright disaster.

And Moyes has urged his players to roll up their sleeves.

“If you lose games at any club, it’s always difficult,” he said. “But that’s the job. We’ll get on with it; we’ve got a big game coming up on Tuesday.”