Manchester, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Manchester United forward Robin Van Persie will be sidelined for a month due to a thigh injury, manager David Moyes confirmed on Friday.
"Robin Van Persie is out for a month," said Moyes. "It is unfortunate because I think if you look at our record with Wayne Rooney and Robin in the team it is actually very good and we have not had them for quite a period recently."
Van Persie suffered the injury in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League at Old Trafford. Van Persie has scored seven goals this season, but with the Dutchman on the sidelines, the bulk of the scoring load will fall to Rooney.
Sunday's match against Aston Villa will mark Rooney's 500th first-team appearance and the England international has the backing of his manager in Van Persie's absence.
"As he gets older, he's adaptable and such a good football player," Moyes said. "If he gets older and loses his pace, he can play a bit deeper. There are some fantastic legends around this club and Wayne has got a chance of turning out as one of them. He's been in the game a long time already but is someone who can go on and play many, many more games."
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