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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag told his players that the 7-0 defeat at Anfield does not erase all the good work done this season.
United fell to their worst defeat in the club’s modern history on Sunday, but the manager’s focus has already shifted to Real Betis on Thursday.
As expected, there has been plenty of backlash and criticism levelled at the team but according to The Daily Mail, Ten Hag has taken another approach.
The Dutchman elected to pick his players up rather than flog them, as he did when the Red Devils were beaten by four goals to nil by Brentford earlier in the season.
Chris Wheeler reports that on Monday morning, Ten Hag arrived at Carrington two hours earlier than his players. He then held a meeting to discuss what went wrong at Anfield.
“What happened doesn’t destroy all the good work we have done this season,” was the message from the boss.
“He told them to be hungry to put things right. He spoke about the importance of not being depressed or losing confidence. He said they would benefit from more sessions with Rainier Koers, the Dutch sports psychologist brought to the club by Ten Hag.”
“There was no replay of the game but Ten Hag did show his players selected video clips ‘to make them angry’, according to one source, just as he had tried to rile them at Anfield by demanding silence in the away dressing room so they could listen to Liverpool’s celebrations.”
Wheeler adds that Ten Hag’s main aim in the meeting was to enhance his side’s mentality and give them a lift ahead of the clash against Real Betis, hence why he is looking towards his players benefitting from Koers.
Undoubtedly, the United boss will be looking to get a response then.
As per The Mail, while United players secretly talked in their WhatsApp groups about the potential of making a title charge, all hope on that front is now lost.
The 20-time English champions are however still competing in all active competitions.
