David de Gea has warned his Manchester United team-mates that they cannot afford another "disaster" of a season after labelling their 2021-22 season "embarrassing" and "a mess". United finished the last campaign with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, returning with their worst-ever points tally in the competition (58).
They also failed to win a trophy for the fifth successive season, but the early signs are good that they will be back challenging soon under new manager Erik ten Hag.
'Losing games 4-0 and 5-0 was unacceptable'
Speaking to reporters, De Gea said: "For me and everyone it was a very tough season, embarrassing sometimes. Some games were a mess, a disaster.
"So we should learn from last season that that cannot happen again because it was tough, it was painful to be there.
"We were not capable to win games and losing games 4-0 or 5-0, it was unacceptable. But sometimes you have to feel the pain to get up and keep going.”
Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesMan Utd's pre-season so far
United got their pre-season campaign off to a perfect start by defeating Liverpool 4-0 i Bangkok, before beginning their tour of Australia with a 4-1 win over Melbourne Victory.
Ten Hag's side then beat Crystal Palace 3-1 before being held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa, despite leading 2-0 at half-time.
United still have two games to play before starting their new season, as they face Atletico Madrid in Oslo on July 30 before returning to Manchester for a game against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford a day later.
Getty ImagesThey will begin their Premier League campaign with a home match against Brighton on August 7.