Manchester United 'very disappointed and annoyed' but not in crisis, says Erik ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag applaids the fans after his side's 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford in September 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he and his players have to be 'very disappointed and annoyed' affter his side's 3-1 loss at home to Brighton on Saturday, but insists the Red Devils are not in crisis following their third defeat in five Premier League games this season.

United went down to goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro in a disappointing afternoon at Old Trafford, which was made only slightly better by a late consolation from Hannibal Mejbri.

And Ten Hag, who was booed by the home fans after bringing off summer signing Rasmus Hojlund to send on Anthony Martial after 64 minutes, showed his frustration after the game.

Asked afterwards if United were in crisis, Ten Hag said: "No, but we have to be very disappointed and annoyed at ourselves.

"We will turn this [around]. But there is a demand on us. We started well, we created chances, we have to deal better with that setback."

United have previously lost away to both Tottenham and Arsenal in the Premier League this season, but this was the Red Devils' first loss at home in 2023/24.

Asked about his side's slow start, Ten Hag said: "Definitely that is something that bothers me, but also I have to see the way we play.

"Finally it is about character, we have to see how strong we are, stick together."

United are currently 13th in the Premier League, with six points from their five fixtures so far.

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Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.