'Why the f*** did we substitute Di Maria'

Manchester United blew a 3-1 lead against Leicester City on Sunday, eventually losing 5-3 after a calamitous 20 minutes which saw them let in four goals.

And the Daily Mail reports that a United player delivered a furious broadside at manager Louis van Gaal following the match, shouting "Why the f*** did we substitute Di Maria?" - referring to the removal of Angel Di Maria, who had once again been United's most threatening player.

The Argentine star - who scored earlier in the match to make it 2-0 - was taken off and replaced by Juan Mata after 76 minutes, moments after Leicester City had equalised to make it 3-3.

That decision backfired, and the Mail cites a "source at the King Power stadium" saying there were "very heated" discussions in the United dressing room after the match.

The substitution of Di Maria did deprive United of their most effective player going forward, but Leicester already had the wind between their sails - and United's defending was already woeful. Had Di Maria stayed on the pitch, there would have been little he could have contributed to rectifying that. He could, however, have scored again at the other end - something his replacement Juan Mata never looked like doing. In other words, whoever uttered the X-rated criticism was pretty much spot on in their analysis.

The other question, however, is who had the guts to shout criticism at the new manager? Inevitably, fan speculation has already focused on Wayne Rooney. He is a man still trying to feel his way into his new-found responsibility; a man who, as Van Gaal made clear before the match, has the security of a guaranteed starting spot; and a man who had already that afternoon sought to shift the blame onto others with a foul-mouthed tirade on the pitch - despite being at fault in the build-up to the goal he was so upset about.

Leicester City coach Kevin Phillips told Talk Sport radio that the entire team was given a lift when Van Gaal brought Di Maria off: "We were all delighted when he took him off because he was causing us a few problems. It was very strange. I was very surprised he took him off. That was a plus from our point of view."

"They look like the Harlem Globetrotters when they are going forward but more like Halifax Town when they are trying to defend. It was really disappointing. The front six were moving so efficiently which got United fans excited, but you were also always on the edge of your seat waiting for a disaster at the back... I didn't like some of the substitutes Louis van Gaal made either. It seemed like he thought the game was won so brought off Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, but it wasn't - the result is never assured with that United defence."

United's defence will look very different in their next match come what may. With Jonny Evans injured and Tyler Blackett suspended after his red card at Leicester, Luke Shaw will make his debut at left-back and Marcos Rojo will move into the centre of defence - a back four that many will feel United should already have been using, rather than repeatedly throwing a young, relatively untried player such as Blackett into the front line.