Premier League: David Moyes worried about Rooney's fitness

Wayne Rooney is struggling with a groin problem and under pressure manager David Moyes admits the injury will have to be managed with care over the coming weeks. The club's other star striker, Robin van Persie, has not yet fully recovered from a thigh strain. Rooney played against Hull City and Tottenham in the busy Christmas schedule, but was rested for the trip to Norwich City. Moyes was asked if resting Rooney was an option and he replied: "If I could, I would. He has missed a couple of games with his groin and may well miss some more in the games coming up." Manchester United were defeated at home by Tottenham on New Year's Day and the result left the reigning champions in seventh place in the Premier League table, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal. Defender Jonny Evans believes they need to be more patient at Old Trafford in order to stop conceding the kind of goals that they let in against Spurs. "They caught us on the break a little bit for the two goals so maybe we need to be a bit more patient. Away from home, you tend to be more defensive in your set-up; maybe at home we are leaving ourselves a bit too open. We want to entertain our fans and score goals but maybe that is to our detriment a little bit." United's poor form led to speculation about new signings in the January transfer window, but Moyes has repeatedly said it is difficult to do any meaningful business in the middle of the season. "From all the noises coming out of the camp, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of activity," club ambassador Andy Cole said. "Our club, historically, doesn't do too much in January but we have a new manager with new ideas. I just wonder who will want to sell their better players halfway through a season. There are also inflated prices to consider as well. You get chairmen bumping prices up because they know their players are in demand and other clubs will pay what they have to pay for what they need. Those chairmen are in very powerful positions, especially if the players concerned are tied down to long-term contracts." Some new signings might boost United's chances though, their current odds to win the title this season at Bet365 are at 25/1.