Erik ten Hag names four Man Utd players who impressed in Brighton defeat
- Erik ten Hag praised Hannibal's performance after the defeat
- Man Utd lost 3-1 to Brighton at Old Trafford
- Manager also praised the performances of three others
Erik ten Hag has insisted that Diogo Dalot, Hannibal Mejbri, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund played well in Manchester United's embarrassing defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Red Devils were thoroughly beaten by an impressive Brighton at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. It was already the club's third defeat of the season, having previously also lost to Arsenal and Tottenham too.
United had gone 3-0 down in the game before Hannibal's first goal for the club made the scoreline slightly more respectable. Speaking to MUTV after the defeat, Ten Hag was keen to praise the young midfielder's impact on the game.
"He did what we brought him [on] for, having an impact and bringing energy. He did it," the boss said.
"I think there were more individuals, like Diogo Dalot, [who] played very well, and Marcus Rashford had moments. Rasmus Hojlund was a threat all the time. We had some good players on the pitch. We were unlucky, unfortunate. We didn't get what we were looking for and that was the result."
Ten Hag also addressed the booing which rang around Old Trafford when Hojlund was subbed off while the Red Devils were trying to get back into the game. The manager insisted that the booing was an indication of how well the striker played.
"I think it was positive, you see that the fans in the first moment in Old Trafford, the reception for [Hojlund] was great, I think he performed very well," he said.
"So I think it's good that they give him this signal, this message. It will give him belief, Rasmus, but everyone knows he came in with a small issue, we built him over the past three, four weeks, he's not ready for a whole game. And we have many games to play [at] short notice, so yeah, we have to build him also in fitness."
United will be hoping to return to winning ways on Wednesday when they face off against Bayern Munich as the 2023/24 Champions League group stage gets underway.
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