'I was really mad' - Erik ten Hag reveals what he said to Manchester United players after Sevilla defeat

It is coming up to a decade since the Sir Alex Ferguson era came to an end at Manchester United, but the influence of the club's legendary manager has lingered in the background since he walked off with their last Premier League title in 2013.

Plenty of his predecessors have attempted to invoke the spirit of Ferguson during their attempts to restore United to glory and Erik ten Hag recently dined with the Scot, before inviting him into the dressing room after winning the Carabao Cup against Newcastle at Wembley.

United return to the national stadium for an FA Cup semi-final against Brighton on Sunday, but they do so on the back of a capitulation in the Europa League in Seville on a night when Ten Hag summoned a famous Fergie saying to tell his players exactly what he thought.

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The Dutchman was publicly critical of the performance of his players in the 3-0 defeat to Seville that ended their European ambitions and he couldn't hold back in the dressing room.

Ferguson used to give his players the hairdryer when he felt they needed a telling off, with his furious outbursts passing into the stuff of legend, and Ten Hag has used a similar approach on occasions this season.

“Sometimes yeah, I can go strong in certain situations. But it’s about the timing of when to use. As a coach, communication style, you can pick many styles and this is one of them," he said.

There were some mitigating circumstances on Thursday night, given the injury crisis facing United and the number of games they've played this season, but Ten Hag refused the offer of letting the players off the hook for their collapse.

“[On Thursday] I was really mad. For me it was so