Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told his Manchester United players to take a long, hard look in the mirror rather than blame a lack of transfer business on their defeat to Crystal Palace.
Roy Hodgson’s side left Old Trafford with a 3-1 win that could have been even more emphatic after humbling Solskjaer’s men.
United fans are furious they’ve been allowed to enter the season with only Donny van de Beek as a new addition.
But Solskjaer insists it is his existing players who should take the blame.
“We can play so much better than today,” he said. “If you look at the players we have on the pitch and on the bench and not here we have to look within first and know we can perform better.
“It was an off day, everyone knows they can improve and we will improve.
“But we are always looking to improve if there is something available at the right price.”
Andros Townsend gave Palace a seventh minute lead. Wilfried Zaha scored twice in the second half either side of a goal from substitute Van de Beek.
Solskjaer added: “You can see we are short and they deserved the points. They were sharper than us in challenges, tackles.
“We started slowly and that had a knock on effect for the rest of the game when they scored the first goal.”
Hodgson hailed Zaha’s performance against his former club.
He said: “I’m very pleased for him and the club he plays for. It is about the present and the future and I am very much looking forward to working with him in future.
“He has the same level of importance as all the star players and very dangerous players who make and score goals for other teams. Jamie Vardy is important to Leicester. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to Man Utd, the new Chelsea forwards.
“He is at that level.”
