Angel Di Maria, Wayne Rooney Criticised After Newcastle vs. Manchester United

Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney are in the firing line after Manchester United's last-gasp victory over Newcastle, with the English press pinpointing both players as disappointments for the Red Devils.

Di Maria's troubles are well documented—and indeed, amplified after he was substituted at half-time during the win over Sunderland—but he endured another frustrating night. The Telegraph's report noted his "astonishing collapse in confidence which reached a new nadir at St James' Park," and it asked, "Surely the kindest thing to do would be to withdraw him from the firing line?"

The Argentinian missed a glorious chance in the opening exchanges before flitting in and out of the game until he was sacrificed with half an hour remaining. He created a couple of smart opportunities shortly after the break but appeared to overthink the simplest of passes.

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As noted by Mark Staniforth of the Daily Mail, "all too often the fickers were extinguished by those lackadaisical losses of possession of inexplicable passes into empty space."

OptaJoe highlighted Di Maria's troubles to complete the basics once he headed to the bench:

Craig Hope of the MailOnline singled Rooney out for criticism, saying he "failed to emerge as the leading man under the bright lights on Tyneside." He pinpointed a glaring miss in the first half—which saw the Englishman dink a one-on-one opportunity against Tim Krul wide—before suggesting Louis van Gaal should consider pushing the striker-turned-midfielder-turned striker back into the centre.

"On the evidence of this you get the impression Van Gaal still isn't sure how best to get the most out of Rooney," writes Hope.

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This criticism is perhaps harsh, as it was Rooney's willingness to hustle that led United to victory. He pressured Newcastle midfielder Mehdi Abeid into panicking his pass back to Krul before then hounding the goalkeeper to fire his clearance straight toward Ashley Young. The former Aston Villa man slid the ball home as injury time arrived, grabbing a vital three points for the club.

Van Gaal certainly didn't appear frustrated with Rooney after the match, per United's official Twitter feed:

Football writer Rich Laverty provided a fair assessment of the player's performance:

Rooney differentiates himself from Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao by breaking beyond the opposition's defensive line. He doesn't play with his back toward goal and is keen to move possession forward. Both RvP and Falcao have lacked physical strength and pace this season, with Rooney looking the sharpest of the trio.

B/R UK's Sam Tighe recently suggested Rooney should start up front in United's best starting XI:

Rooney needs to find his goalscoring form as the season heads toward its climax, though. He has netted just three times in 13 matches across all competitions, per WhoScored.com, not the greatest return even with his consistent run in midfield taken into account.

A turn of fortunes for Di Maria could also thrust United into a top-four finish, which still appears unlikely. With Liverpool gaining momentum and sitting just two points below, it is now the time for such players to show everyone their true qualities on a consistent basis.