Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd lacked belief during derby | OneFootball

Ten Hag's side were hammered / Laurence Griffiths/GettyImages

Erik ten Hag has admitted that his Manchester United side suffered from 'a lack of belief' during their derby day defeat to inner-city rivals Manchester City on Sunday.

The Dutch manager's side were at the Etihad and were trailing 6-1 at one point in the game before Anthony Martial scored two late consolation goals.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the defeat, Ten Hag admitted that his side lacked belief when asked what went wrong on the day:

"Lack of belief. I'm surprised why we didn't bring it [belief] onto the pitch. I've seen - obviously four weeks ago - a different team, a different spirit, a different vibe, a different confidence, and today we didn't have confidence.

"From the first minute on we were not on the front foot, we were not brave in possession. It's always difficult to find out [why his team weren't brave in possession], especially straight after the game. I have to talk with my players and I have to find out.

"They know they can do better - see the performance at Arsenal, see the performance at Liverpool - but if you don't fight, and we didn't, then you have a problem against a team like Man City."

Manchester United will hope to get back to winning way on Thursday evening when they face off against Omonia in the Europa League.