Ten Hag: We’ve shown we can bounce back

In the second instalment of his pre-Southampton press conference, which was conducted in the aftermath of the win over Betis at Old Trafford, the boss said he is pleased with the response of the squad to last Sunday’s defeat at Anfield.

United beat our La Liga opponents by a resounding scoreline, giving us a strong advantage going into the second leg of our Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday 16 March, and host Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday (14:00 GMT kick-off).

The win over Betis is not the first time the Reds have shown resilience this season, with Erik citing responses to defeats against Arsenal and Manchester City earlier this campaign when praising the character of his players.

But he was also was quick to outline that United must continue the recovery from the loss on Merseyside with a triumph over the Saints, as we aim to get back to winning ways in the league.

All this, and more, features in the second part of the Dutchman's pre-match media briefing, which you can read and watch below...

What has the last three or four days told you about your players character-wise? Does how they continue to react for the rest of the season have a bigger part to play in what you are trying to build long-term for the future?
"I think [as] the season goes to the end, it's going to be even more difficult for every team because the pressure will be higher and higher. So you need character, you need a determined team, you need a resilient team. You need a team with personalities, and I think we already showed several times this season that this team can deal with setbacks. Today we have seen an example but before as well. After Brentford, for instance, after Arsenal when we bounced back after. After City, we bounced back. Today, I will say this is part one, because Sunday has to come another one, but I think this team can rely on that, that they can bounce back. But it demands a lot of energy, a lot of togetherness from a lot of players to get the performance as we showed today."

Is that the challenge for them as much as silverware now? To show their resilience, to show they deserve to be part of what you're trying to build?
"There is a big challenge if you want to win silverware and as I said as the season goes on, when you finally you go for the final positions in the league, for the trophies, then the challenge will be higher. Then you need a strong character as a team to win that."

We're at the point when teams are starting to think about what they might need in the summer transfer window. Has the last week made you change your mind about what you might need this summer, in terms of the personality of the players?
"No. It can't change after one game, but that is a continual process that is running in the background and in this moment the main focus is from game to game and the first game is always the most important, and that is [the case] now on Sunday with Southampton."

You're still in a good position to secure top four, but do you have to look over your shoulder a bit now, or can you still look up and Arsenal and City?
"We go from game to game. We are not looking over our shoulders. We have to focus on our process and what others are doing is not for us. We have to improve our game and every player has to improve it and we have win games and do it from game to game."