Manchester United forward Juan Mata has apologised for his team's Premier League meltdown against Leicester that left them 12th in the league after five matches.

United looked set for a comfortable win after moving 3-1 ahead at the King Power stadium on Sunday, but some abject defending in the final half hour allowed Leicester to record their first home win over the Red Devils in 29 years, eventually running out 5-3 winners.

"After a whole week waiting for the match I could not imagine a Sunday like this," Mata said.

"The way back from Leicester to Manchester on the bus seemed really long.

"I keep thinking about how we lost a game that was under control.

"It's really tough to score three goals away and come back home with no points.

"On our way back to Manchester I was thinking about what had happened and felt so disappointed as all those that came with us to the stadium.

"Honestly, I feel very sorry that the weekend ended up for our fans in such a sad way."

Former United captain Gary Neville said the team looked "soft-centred" and ex-Holland striker Ruud Gullit criticised manager Louis van Gaal for spending the majority of his transfer budget on the likes of Falcao, Angel di Maria and Ander Herrera when defensive reinforcements were needed more.