Erik ten Hag felt Manchester United lacked passion and desire in loss to Newcastle – ‘They wanted it more’

Eric ten Hag has said his Manchester United side were not good enough and lacked passion and desire in their loss to Newcastle.

The Magpies were better in all departments, as they produced a strong defensive display, were dynamic in attack and sharp in the midfield areas.

Ten Hag’s side, in contrast, offered little going forward – centre-forward Wout Weghorst had only 10 touches – and were unable to keep a lid on Newcastle’s attack.

The result enabled Newcastle to climb above their beaten opponents into third in the Premier League, and Ten Hag conceded it was a deserved result.

“I hate to say it but they were better today – especially their determination, passion and desire,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports. “They wanted to win more so they won.”

Asked if it hurt that his side were beaten due to a lack of passion and desire, Ten Hag said: “Definitely. We had our opportunities but then you have to go for goal with the determination they did.

“It wasn’t good enough. We allowed them too many chances. You have to be hungry and give everything every game. Today they wanted it more.”

Pinning the blame on Weghorst would be unfair, and Ten Hag felt all his attacking options were off colour.

“Our attacking game wasn’t good enough,” the Dutchman said. “I don’t want to focus on one person. It was a team performance.

“We did not create. The first phase was quite good, but after we got in the attacking areas we created nothing.”

Ten Hag will have to rally his troops for a quick turnaround as they face Brentford on Wednesday, and he feels they will produce a positive response.

“We have to deal with the setback and learn a lesson,” Ten Hag said. “So many times recently, we came back after Liverpool. I don’t have that concern. I believe in the team. I believe we’ll bounce back.”

The Red Devils remain in charge of their own destiny with regards to securing a place in the top four, as they are one point in front of Tottenham and have a game in hand.