Erik ten Hag has said it is difficult to effectively integrate new signings into his squad so early in the season following his side's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, adding: “I'm not Harry Potter.”
During a fierce defence of his record in what was at times a tense post-match press conference, the Dutchman assured fans his side “will be fine” and have a “great chance” of lifting another trophy at the end of the campaign.
“It's only the third game of the season, we have to build a new team,” said Ten Hag.
“I've explained it many times. We're going to build it. We've got young players and players to build around. Today we had three players who started for the first time this season. We'll be fine. It's clear that we have to improve, but at the end of the season I'm confident that we'll have a great opportunity to lift another trophy.”
Ten Hag was forced to replace Casemiro at half-time after the Brazilian made two errors that led to Luis Díaz's goals.
New £50m ($65.6m) signing Manuel Ugarte was watching from the stands after being introduced on to the pitch before kick-off and Ten Hag admitted the Uruguayan will need time to get up to speed.
“So this is another one, we have to get him into the team,” he said.
“It will take time, it's not like I'm Harry Potter. That's what we have to admit. And if you look at Manuel Ugarte, he hasn't played so far this season. Not a single minute of the match. He needs to improve his fitness and then we have to incorporate him into the team.”
A defiant Ten Hag also rejected the suggestion that his team continue to be punished for familiar mistakes.
“Maybe you can explain to me what the mistakes are,” he replied.
“Are you sure? I don't think so, otherwise you wouldn't win trophies like we have. I feel sorry for you. I think we won after [Manchester] City have won the most trophies in English football over the last two years, so I feel sorry for you.
“There is [positives] But I don't want to talk about this. It hurts me, it hurts me especially for our fans. We have to be humble and move on.”
