Erik ten Hag pulls no punches as Manchester United lose Rosenborg friendly with Rangers up next at Murrayfield

Erik ten Hag didn't mince his words as he branded Manchester United's friendly opener as 'below our standards'.

The Red Devils boss watched on as his troops went down to a disappointing 1-0 friendly defeat to Rosenborg. The Norwegian outfit currently sit 11th in their domestic league and are in competitive action but the Old Trafford boss was still less than impressed with the showing from his men as they now get ready to face Rangers at Murrayfield in their next outing on Saturday.

The Dutchman played the likes of Marcus Rashford, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro and Mason Mount. But they were all there taken off at half-time before a killer blow from Noah Holm with virtually the last kick of the game against a team of United young guns. Reflecting on the match on MUTV, the United boss hit out saying: "The result is not secondary. We play pre-season, but it's the standard at Manchester United to win games. Definitely don't lose them. The performance is important but it was below our standards."

Rosenborg's aggressive approach resulted in a barrage of 22 shots, with seven testing the goal. United's second-string keeper Radek Vitek emerged as a standout, thwarting all but one attempt. Ten Hag continued: "Let's say he had the opportunity to shine thanks to the team's performance, which was not good enough."

United return to competitive football in less than a month when they face city rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield. Supporters are hopeful that the influx of new coaching staff, including Rene Hake as assistant manager and club icon Ruud van Nistelrooy, will bolster Ten Hag's efforts to climb the English Premier League standings.

"He is a very ambitious manager", Ten Hag remarked about the former United hitman.