There was always a chance of an upset. Leeds were in good form coming to Old Trafford, the 9,000 fans they were bringing were always going to be in good voice, and it was always likely that Ferguson would shuffle his pack. But all that doesn't change the fact that this was an upset.

Even Ferguson had few complaints - the referee didn't add enough time apparently - but he accepted that Leeds were worthy victors and that his team had grossly underperformed.

But where now for United? And more importantly where now for United's kids? Ferguson always talks them up, as any manager would, and recently defended them in the wake of Uniteds first home Champions League defeat in years. But serious questions marks are posed by results such as that, and this defeat at the hands of a team effectively in the Third Division.

Are the likes of Welbeck, Fabio, Gibson, Anderson, Obertan, etc really good enough for United? Will they ever be? Will they go the way of Richardson, Spector, Nevland, Healy - all footballers well able to make a living in the game but good enough for football at its pinnacle? No. Absolutely no. Time will tell if this latest set of United youngsters go that way. And lets be fair, they do have time on their side. But not a whole lot.

United face City this week in the first leg of a Carling Cup Semi Final. Having been so easily taken care of by Leeds, will Ferguson trust the same youngsters to do battle with a team desperate to add some silverware after a massive financial outlay? He certainly indicated that they would play following the Quarter Final victory - it will be interesting to see if his patience has snapped with them in the aftermath of the toothless display against Leeds. He surely wouldn't want to risk another humiliation against major rivals. Or maybe he'll trust his younsters to come out fighting.