Manchester United manager David Moyes has admitted that he plans to rest striker Wayne Rooney.
The 28-year-old has been in fine form for the club this season, scoring six times in the Premier League, but Moyes concedes that he is wary of over playing the England international.
"I expected Wayne to play both games, maybe not quite as long, but I know the way Wayne is at the moment - he wants to play every match," he told reporters.
"I was hoping we could have got him some time off, but obviously Roy has to pick his teams and these games were important for him. I respect that. Somewhere along the line I'll need to give Wayne a breather, but I don't know when that will be at the moment.
"Maybe in the next two months or so I might be able to get an opportunity to give him a little bit of time off because his effort and his work-rate is incredible. We've been seeing the Wayne Rooney we all enjoy watching but we can't run him into the ground all the time."
United are currently sixth in the Premier League table.
Alex Meyers
