Manchester United manager David Moyes has explained Robin van Persie's absence in their 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

The Dutch striker was one of the six players who were left out after the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United last Saturday, and Moyes said that Van Persie was rested due to the amount of minutes he played against the Magpies.

"He played 90 minutes against Newcastle, and the plan was to only play him for 60 or 70 minutes," Moyes told ITV Sport.

"We needed a goal against Newcastle, so I had to play him for the whole game. We didn't want to lose him over the Christmas period and he played an extra 20 or 30 minutes."

Van Persie was eventually brought on just after the hour mark against the Ukrainian side.