Brian McDermott and his United squad are looking firmly ahead towards Saturday’s televised Elland Road clash with table toppers Leicester City (12.15pm).

The game represents a return to action for a United side who were on the wrong end of a 6-0 hiding at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend. It was the club’s biggest margin league defeat in over 50 years, and the boss called his players in for an open discussion on Sunday morning.

“We were all shell-shocked after a performance and a result like what happened on Saturday,” said the boss.

“After the game, we spoke in the dressing room and then brought all the players in for a meeting on Sunday morning. It was an open conversation and anyone could have their say. But after that, you have to move ahead.

“You are shell-shocked but you can’t be for too long. You have to get on with your work and what needs to be done. And what the bigger picture is for Leeds United.

“The meeting was very productive. I also spoke to the senior players as well. The players had their say, I have always been the same way - they can have their say. I then said what I felt. And I said how I saw things in the future and how things have got to be.”

United head towards the weekend without a win in six games, but it’s only a month ago that a 3-0 success at Doncaster proved enough to secure a top-six spot ahead of the Christmas period.

“Five or six games ago we were fifth in the league and enjoying form as good as anyone in the country,” said the boss. “Sometimes, football can go like this.

“That is why you can never get too down and you can never get too carried away. That goes for now. If you want to, you can get as down as you possibly want. But that is not my character. The only thing we can do now is move on to the next game.

“We need to be prepared and get back to basics, and we need to get back to what we have to do and work harder than the opposition."

Having gone from being denied all three points by a late deflected goal at Blackpool on Boxing Day, United lurched to successive league defeats at the hands of Nottingham Forest and Blackburn before suffering embarrassing reverses at Rochdale and Sheffield Wednesday.

“You never think you have all the answers,” said the boss. “You look and analyse everything. You can’t say you have the answers once you see what happens on the pitch. We can only speak about having the answers if we get the right result against Leicester.

“Our home form has been really, really good. Every team coming to Elland Road have had a tough game. That can’t be any different on Saturday. Or in any of the 21 games we have got coming up because, obviously, what happened on Saturday can never happen again.

“I am focused on what needs to be done.”