POGBA AND MATA DELIGHTED BY UNITED RESPONSE

Paul Pogba urged Manchester United's critics to judge them at the end of the season after getting on the scoresheet in Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of Leicester City.

World-record buy Pogba opened his United account with the fourth of the hosts' first-half goals and a third from corners as Leicester's set-piece defending failed to function.

The France international has come under scrutiny after underwhelming thus far on his return to Old Trafford, but he turned in a dominant showing against the Premier League champions.

"We were very focused, we knew it was going to be difficult and we showed a very big performance today," he told Sky Sports.

"We want to keep on with that. I am very happy for the result and the goal – I hope that is not going to be the last. 

"We have to carry on doing what we did today. We have our goals.

"I never look at the newspapers, I always say one thing – at the end we will see. So, at the end we will see."

Captain Chris Smalling opened the scoring and Marcus Rashford was also on target after Juan Mata scored a superb second.

The Spanish playmaker impressed throughout as United bounced back from consecutive Premier League losses to Manchester City and Watford.

"Today we showed what we can do," Mata told BBC Sport. "It was a difficult week last week, but I think we are back.

"I think it was the movement and the intensity and we showed we wanted to recover the ball quick and play the game in their half.

"If you play for a club like Manchester United and lose one or two games you know you are going to get criticised.

"We have won two in a row [after Wednesday's EFL Cup triumph at Northampton Town] and now we have two more before the international break."

MOURINHO COMPLETELY TRUSTS DROPPED ROONEY

Jose Mourinho maintained Wayne Rooney has a big part to play for Manchester United despite dropping the England captain for Saturday's 4-1 Premier League win over Leicester City.

United were rampant during the first half at Old Trafford, with Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba all on target before the break as Rooney watched on.

But speaking after the match, Mourinho insisted 83rd-minute substitute Rooney retained his trust after a string of heavily criticised displays during the opening weeks of the season.

"He is a big player for me, a big player for Untied and a big payer for this country," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"I have nothing else to say, he is my man I trust him completely.

"His team won, his United won. That's normal [that he is happy]."

INJURED MARTIAL TO MISS LEICESTER CLASH

Anthony Martial will miss Manchester United's Premier League match against champions Leicester City, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The France international had to be replaced after 38 minutes of United's 3-1 Premier League defeat to Watford last weekend and missed the 3-1 EFL Cup win over Northampton Town on Wednesday.

Martial, who on Friday revealed he had returned to training, will not be fit in time to take on Leicester on Saturday, with Mourinho stressing it is a calf injury, not a concussion, which has kept him out.

Speaking at a pre-match media conference, Mourinho said: "Martial is not available. 

"You are wrong because you say concussion - one thing is concussion, another thing is contusion.

"It is because of a contusion in the calf and ankle area.

"You know when that happened – I think you know," he added, referring to an apparent foul on the forward by Miguel Britos, whose tackle went unpunished, ahead of Watford's first goal at Vicarage Road.

Martial has played in all five of United's Premier League matches so far this season, without scoring.

Mourinho did not rule out Luke Shaw (groin) or Henrikh Mkhitaryan (thigh) for the Leicester game when asked about expected absentees through injury.

LACK OF MANCHESTER UNITED GAME-TIME 'FRUSTRATING' FOR RASHFORD

Marcus Rashford says he is frustrated by his lack of starts for Manchester United under Jose Mourinho, but thinks much of the squad are in the same boat.

The 18-year-old has only started once in the Premier League this season, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic the first-choice option at centre-forward following his move to Old Trafford from Paris Saint-Germain.

Rashford insists he is not angry about his situation even if it can be testing and understands the strength of United's squad makes it tough to earn a regular place.

"It is frustrating but I'm not angry that I'm not playing because I understand it's difficult," the striker told Sky Sports.

"We have a lot of big players and a lot of players in my situation as well who are not getting the minutes they probably thought they deserved to get.

"But all of this is good for the squad because everyone is competing in training and it's improving us as players and as a squad. 

"What the manager has done with the team and the players is a good thing."

Rashford has three goals to his name in all competitions and adding to that tally is his top priority as the 2016-17 campaign progresses.

The England international also wants to become an "ultimate centre-forward" and gain confidence playing on either wing in order to boost his versatility and chances of selection.

Rashford added: "As a team we have a good squad and we can compete for the titles this season. On a personal level, scoring a lot of goals is the main objective.

"There's some games where your touch might be off but that doesn't mean that you can't score goals and win the game for your team.

"I want to become the ultimate centre forward. I want to be able to play on the left, on the right and down the middle.

"To do that I need to improve my game down the sides because my positioning in those areas, where I haven't played since I was 12 or 13, is a bit off.

"The manager has been doing some work with me off the left and right so I think he's trying to improve me in those areas.

"I'm just trying to play with freedom like I did last year and the manager supports me with that. Like he did in the Hull [City] game, the manager just tells me to go and help the team win the game.

"I was here, there and everywhere during that game trying to find gaps and help the team win the game."

ROONEY DROPPED FOR LEICESTER CITY CLASH

 Jose Mourinho has dropped Wayne Rooney from the Manchester United starting line-up for Saturday's clash against Leicester City.

The club captain has faced heavy criticism over his recent form and was unable to get back among the goals in the 3-1 EFL Cup win over Northampton Town on Wednesday.

Mourinho had suggested he could leave Rooney out of the firing line for the meeting with the Premier League champions, claiming he had been affected by the reaction to his performances for England at Euro 2016.

And the 30-year-old has indeed been dropped to the bench for the first time this season, with Jesse Lingard earning a recall and Juan Mata starting in the number 10 role for his 150th Premier League start.

Former United goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler starts in goal for Leicester, with Kasper Schmeichel having failed to recover full fitness.

Manchester United team: De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, Bailly, Blind; Pogba, Herrera; Rashford, Mata, Lingard; Ibrahimovic.

Leicester City team: Zieler; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton; Slimani, Vardy.

MOURINHO CANNOT ADOPT SIEGE MENTALITY AT UNITED - ATKINSON

Jose Mourinho must not adopt a siege mentality at Manchester United if he is to be successful at Old Trafford, according to Ron Atkinson.

After winning his first four competitive games as United manager, Mourinho has seen his team lose three matches in eight days - including a 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester City.

The Portuguese was critical of referee Michael Oliver following United's 3-1 loss at Watford.

But Atkinson - who led United two FA Cup successes in 1983 and 1985 - does not believe an us-against-the-world approach will work for Mourinho.

"I have never been a huge fan of this siege mentality he brings to his clubs," Atkinson said.

"There's nothing wrong with being fiercely protective of your players, but that doesn't mean you have to antagonise everybody else.

"I don't think that approach would work at Manchester United because it can lead to the club becoming claustrophobic.

"It is a global brand and you cannot run it as your personal fiefdom. United is an ­expansive club, it's a club of the people. Telling everyone that 'It's us against the world' doesn’t really wash, because United have lots of friends – they probably have more fans on the planet than anyone else.

"Jose has an engaging personality and it would be a shame if he got sidetracked by siege mentality and taking on the world."

Atkinson added: "I was surprised by the way United played in the derby.

"All credit to City, who look phenomenal, but I thought Jose would have set up his team to play higher up the pitch.

"It would have been an eye-opener for him to see the way City went about it, with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne finding pockets of space.

"United were never outnumbered in midfield, but they were ­outmanoeuvred. You can't imagine that scenario if Roy Keane and Paul Scholes had been playing.

"For the first 10 minutes, they would have announced themselves, and tried to break up the little ­triangles City were forming, and I didn't see that in Jose's team in the derby."

MATA: NO TIME FOR MOURNING - MANCHESTER UNITED MUST REACT

Juan Mata says Manchester United's players do not have time to mourn their surprise defeat to Watford and has called for a reaction against Northampton Town and Leicester City.

United conceded twice late on to lose 3-1 at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Sunday, marking the first time since 2001-02 that Jose Mourinho has lost three successive matches in a single season.

Spain international Mata, writing in a blog on the United website, has sought to put a positive spin on the team's difficult situation.

"As I always say, one of the best things of football is that the game is testing you all the time," he said.

"A win doesn't last too long, and it happens the same way with a defeat - you have the chance to make it up soon afterwards. Two more games this week will give us the opportunity to show on the pitch our pride and skills. There's no time for mourning. We must react."

As they seek to respond to recent disappointments, United are away to third-tier opposition on Wednesday followed by a challenging assignment at home to title-holders Leicester on Saturday.

"First of all, we visit Northampton Town in the EFL Cup, in our first game of the season in this competition," Mata said.

"We are the favourites in this game and we have to deliver, with all due respect to the opponent because, despite being in League One, Northampton Town has already knocked out a Premier League side like West Brom.

"I'm sure the stadium will be packed and they will try to make things difficult for us.

"And next weekend we are back to the Premier League, this time at Old Trafford against Leicester. Playing a nice game against the current champions would be the best signal that we could send to our supporters. In order to do so, we have to improve and work hard in every sense.

"I believe this team is capable of doing great things this season."