Manchester United captain Harry Maguire said the players let down coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during the "shameful" 0-5 defeat of Liverpool at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and that the team needed to take full responsibility and join hands.
United visit Tottenham in the league on Saturday after a week of harsh criticism and speculation about Solskjaer's future.
Manchester United dressing room
"I would like every player in the dressing room to focus on himself and take full responsibility and not blame someone else," Maguire told Sky Sports.
"You have to look at yourself first, especially after a result like this and in a period like this. The coach failed us against Liverpool, the fans, the club and ourselves, so we have to take a huge responsibility."
At Old Trafford, the Egyptian king was the hero of the story 🇪🇬👑
An amazing performance and a historical show from @MoSalah in an unforgettable match against Manchester United.. Now watch everything Mo Salah did in that confrontation 📽️⏬pic.twitter.com/gRzFNfDwji
- Liverpool Club (@LFC_Arabic) October 26, 2021
Maguire admitted it was difficult to deal with the defeat that saw United trailed 4-0 in the first half.
"It was tough and frustrating and when you look at the result and the performance you find it embarrassing, it was a hard week and I wouldn't say we handled it easily," he said.
He added, "I'm sure that one of the worst weeks in the players' careers, you go home and don't sleep much and thoughts run through your mind and regret things, to be honest I went back to my house and looked at myself and thought about what I could improve and took the responsibility on my shoulders."
A perfect pass from the captain... a perfect finish from the king!
🔥
From all possible angles.. Watch the hat-trick goal from Mohamed Salah against Manchester United 🎩💫
Brought to you by @Sonos 📽️pic.twitter.com/5CNdi8CEAU
- Liverpool Club (@LFC_Arabic) October 26, 2021
fragile defense
United's fragile defense has come under the microscope, having conceded 9 goals in the last two league games and kept one clean sheet in the last 21 games in all competitions.
Maguire, 28, continued, "We conceded a lot of goals, and I bear a great responsibility because of my personal level and defensive performance as well."
"I am the captain and I have been a pillar of defense for more than two years, and we had some good periods, but at the moment we are not defending well enough," he explained.
Pass @TrentAA 💫
Ending @DiogoJota18 ⚽
Great team work from the Reds 😍pic.twitter.com/G6xiIDb7Dt
— Liverpool Club (@LFC_Arabic) October 25, 2021
"My form was not good and I am looking forward to getting back to the condition that I had before injuries in the last two seasons," Maguire admitted.
The England defender stressed that it was time for the great players to show their value.
"We must stick together and strive to overcome the result of the Liverpool match and perform positively on Saturday. The club has international and experienced players and we must take advantage of that now," he said.