Manchester United's stellar squad trounced QPR to hand Louis van Gaal his first win as manager.

Angel di Maria, Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata all got on the scoresheet as Van Gaal's team of Galacticos hammered Harry Redknapp's shell-shocked side 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal gave Radamel Falcao a second-half debut off the bench while Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo made their first starts in the red of United.

All three impressed, but it was the contribution of Di Maria which perhaps deserves the greatest praise. The Argentinian gave United fans a glimpse of his potential in the drab 0-0 draw at Burnley two weeks ago, but on his home debut he was simply irresistible.

The £59.7million (Dh356.6m) signing stretched the away defence with a series of brilliant passes and he had a hand in all four goals.

Van Gaal, who had gone four games without a win, will want to use this victory as a springboard for the rest of the season.

This certainly felt like the start of a new era at Old Trafford. United, playing in a 4-4-2 diamond, passed the ball quicker, they were more clinical in front of goal and the atmosphere inside the ground was jubilant.

With £150m (Dh896.1m) of new talent available to him, and players like Mata, who had an outstanding game, Van Gaal has the potential to achieve a top-three finish, as outlined by his employers, at the very least.