Moyes still seeking right balance

United will attempt to put their troubled Premier League form behind them on Wednesday night when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Donbass Arena.

Victory would allow them to take a firm grip on their Champions League group, which in turn might make it easier for Moyes to rotate his squad with greater effectiveness.

For, after successive league defeats to Manchester City and West Brom, Moyes acknowledges he still needs to get the balance right.

"We will be looking for a balance of experience and youth," he said. "We will be trying to introduce new young players at the right times but also rely a lot on the great experience many of the players have at Manchester United."

Two players at either end of the spectrum, Rio Ferdinand and Wilfried Zaha, have been omitted from the United travelling party altogether.

Anderson's absence means there must be at least two changes from the team beaten by West Brom.

Yet Moyes is not worried by the claims of Shakhtar's veteran coach Mircea Lucescu that too much rotation is one of the major reasons for United's inconsistent form.

"It never caused Sir Alex Ferguson any problem when he did it," he said.

This scrutiny is what Moyes opened himself up to when he accepted the challenge of succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson last spring.

Source: PA

Source: PA