Man Utd captain Wayne Rooney was taken off at Leicester because he was "a little bit injured", says Louis van Gaal.
Rooney made way for Memphis Depay with 22 minutes still to play and the score at 1-1 - the first time this season United's skipper has been substituted with the scores level.
The game finished 1-1 and Van Gaal afterwards revealed a slight injury was the reason he hooked Rooney, rather than Anthony Martial.
"Wayne was a little bit injured," the United manager said. "You saw him limping. I also wanted to change a striker because they were not running in behind.
"I could have taken off Martial because he didn't do that either, so that is why I changed Rooney, because he was a little bit injured.
"I don't think he is injured for the next match."
Van Gaal this week made it clear it is not just the captain's armband keeping Rooney in the team, despite a return of just two Premier League goals this season.