Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Sunday s 6-1 thrashing by Tottenham was his worst day ever but promised Manchester United will recover.
The Red Devils took the lead against Spurs through a second-minute Bruno Fernandes penalty only to fall 2-1 down to goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Son Heung-min following some abject defending.
Anthony Martial was sent off for reacting to a raised arm from Erik Lamela, after which United collapsed, with Spurs going 4-1 up before half-time through Son and Harry Kane.
A Serge Aurier strike and a Kane penalty compounded a miserable day for United, who last suffered such a comprehensive home defeat in the Premier League when Manchester City won by the same scoreline in 2011.
I hold my hand up, it is my fault. It s very embarrassing, it hurt all the players, it hurts me as the manager. It s my worst day ever, Solskjaer said.
It is the worst day of my career as Manchester United manager and the worst day for all of them as United players [but] it is not the worst day in Manchester United history, we have bounced back before.
4 Manchester United have conceded four goals in the first half of a match for the very first time, with this their 1,079th match in the competition. Thumped.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
To explain now is quite difficult. We have been beaten 6-1 at home by a very good side but we have contributed a lot to our own downfall.
The nature of the defeat, as well as the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on the opening day and the fortunate way they won 3-2 at Brighton and Hove Albion, has again thrown the spotlight on United s recruitment.
Donny van de Beek, yet to start a league game, is the only signing they have so far made in this window despite weeks of speculation over a possible bid for Jadon Sancho, plus a clamour for defensive reinforcements.
Alex Telles is due to sign from Porto on Monday, as is free agent Edinson Cavani, but any other incomings before the deadline appear unlikely.
It is not about getting players in but who is here, Solskjaer said. Today is the worst. I can t say any more than that. There are a lot of wrongs today. We need to look at everything.
It s nowhere near good enough. When you have a defeat like this, you have to look yourself in the mirror. They are going away on international duty and the ones that stay have time to work. That is hard as we need to get together and battle.