Fabio Coentrao
Fabio Coentrao Reuters

David Moyes has denied claims that Manchester United are close to securing a deal for Fabio Coentrao with Real Madrid after their Capital One Cup loss to Sunderland at the Stadium on Light.

The former Everton manager is under pressure to spend in January with the Red Devils currently in shambles, having lost three games on the trot, against Tottenham in the league, Swansea in the third round of the FA Cup and to Sunderland in the first leg of the semi-final of the Capital one Cup on Tuesday.

Their strike force is extremely depleted with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney both out with injuries. Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez have been entrusted with the job of leading their line, something which has failed to yield consistent results.

The Red Devils are currently seventh in the league and need some serious investment if they have to make it to the Champions League next season. With Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle hitting their strides at the right time, Moyes needs some inspiration from somewhere if he has to replicate Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy.

The Scotsman had set his sights on Coentrao to strengthen his defence but has insisted that he is no closer to completing a deal for the player.

When asked if he is closing in on the defender, he said, "No, that's not true."

The manager has stressed the need to bring in reinforcements this January if they have to keep United at the top of the pile. However, with most players cup tied and clubs unwilling to let them leave midway through the season Moyes is concerned about their availability.

"There is an urgency that we would like to bring people in but are those players available in January? So there is no point in me hyping it up because the players we would like to bring in are probably not available in January, not because we don't want to do it," he stressed.