Erik ten Hag says he is “not Harry Potter” after Manchester United were hammered by Liverpool – but remains “quite confident” his side will win a trophy by the end of the season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold saw a goal ruled out for offside in the seventh minute before Luis Diaz scored a first-half brace. Mo Salah completed the rout after the interval with a terrific finish at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Six players signed under the manager were included in the starting lineup, while Manuel Ugarte was introduced to the crowd before kickoff, following his £50m transfer from PSG.
The result leaves Man United 14th in the Premier League table with just three points after three games.
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“It is not like I am Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said. “You have to acknowledge that. For three players it was their first start of the season.
“Manuel Ugarte did not play one minute – he needs to build his fitness. Then we have to build him into the team. I am sure he will contribute to our team. It will take a couple of weeks, maybe even a month. That is the same for a lot of players.”
The Dutchman added: “I don’t want to talk about positives today. This defeat hurts for us and our fans.
“It is the third game of the season. I have had to explain this so many times. We have to build a new team. We will be fine but it is clear we have to improve.
“At the end of the season I am quite confident we will have a big chance to lift another trophy.”
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