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Erik ten Hag has spoken to the media for the first time since the humbling defeat to Liverpool at the weekend.
Speaking before United’s Europa League round-of-16 clash against Real Betis, the United boss underlined the importance for the team to bounce back as quickly as possible.
Ten Hag said he has watched the Liverpool disaster back with his players and they are are keen to put things right on Thursday at Old Trafford
“We have sat conclusions and talked about it. We have seen the game, we have to reset and bounce back” he said.
The United boss was then asked if he felt the team had let him down on Sunday, after appearing to throw in the towel when winning the game was out of reach.
Ten Hag insists the players and staff remain united and they are looking forward to getting back to winning ways.
“No [the players didn’t let him down], we are in this together. We win and lose together. We made a mess on Sunday and we have to deal with that” he added.
Despite the alarming nature of the defeat, Ten Hag referenced the fine run of form prior to Sunday for his team to draw confidence from and insists lessons will be learnt.
“We were really below average, especially mentality-wise. This was a huge setback, clear, but we had a run with 23 games with one loss (before Sunday). It had a lot of lessons we can use in the future.” said the boss.
One player who came in for particular criticism on the back of the weekend is Bruno Fernandes, with some suggesting the Portuguese star should relinquish the captaincy role.
Ten Hag rebuffed such claims, declaring he is happy with the performances of Fernandes throughout the season and as such, has no reason to change his role as vice-captain.
“Definitely [still captain]. I think he’s playing a brilliant season. He’s giving energy to the team, in the right way. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes but I’m really happy to have Bruno Fernandes in my team and I’m happy with him as captain when Harry [Maguire] is not on the pitch.”
United have four key games before the international break, with the opportunity to progress in both cup competitions and tighten their grip on a top four place in the Premier League.
