Erik ten Hag Manchester United 16:9Getty

'We weren't ready' - Erik ten Hag delivers brutal assessment after Man Utd picked apart by Sevilla in Europa League dud

  • Ten Hag says United were unprepared
  • Blamed mistakes
  • United out of Europa League

WHAT HAPPENED? On a night where plenty of rotation players had a chance to prove themselves in a finely poised European contest in Seville, Manchester United completely capitulated, falling to a 3-0 defeat against Sevilla and crashing out of the Europa League at the hands of a 5-2 aggregate score.

Ten Hag expressed his frustrations after full-time of what was one of the worst performances of his tenure.

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WHAT THEY SAID: "It’s clear, when you make such mistakes it’s very difficult to win a football game," Ten Hag conceded to BT Sport. "Tonight we weren’t ready for the game and that cannot be. This is a great occasion and opportunity to win something and we gave it away. We have to blame ourselves.

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"It’s a problem, we can’t run away from it. On Sunday we have to step up and show more character and more personality."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Injuries to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez meant United had to revert back to the previous centre-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, both of whom have struggled for regular minutes under the Dutchman. Bruno Fernandes was also absent due to suspension, resulting in United completely unravelling.

A calamitous error involving Maguire and David de Gea gifted Sevilla an early lead in a half they dominated, before more errors in a timid display saw them cruise to a three-goal lead in the second half, with United's number one looking well off the pace in the same week he was reportedly offered a new contract.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Harry Maguire Manchester United Sevilla 2022-2Getty ImagesDavid de Gea Sevilla Manchester United 2022-23GettyErik ten Hag Manchester United Sevilla second leg 2022-23Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? There is no time for United to lick their wounds, with a trip to Wembley awaiting them in just three days time for an FA Cup semi-final against high-flying Brighton.

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