Erik ten Hag gave every Man Utd player an unusual gift after drawing with Crystal Palace

Erik ten Hag gave his Manchester United players a gift in an attempt to boost morale following their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

United dropped points for the first time since returning from the World Cup break at Selhurst Park on Wednesday evening.

Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring to give the away side a deserved just before the break, but they were pegged back in injury-time thanks to Michael Olise's outrageous free-kick.

It was a freezing night in South London, made more miserable by missing the chance to leapfrog bitter rivals Manchester City in the Premier League table. The Red Devils didn't arrive home in Manchester until 1:30 am when temperatures had dropped below freezing to -3C.

Per the Times, Ten Hag was on hand to brighten the mood in the early hours of the morning. He handed each member of his squad a can of de-icer to clear their car windscreens.

It's said to have shaved 10 minutes of their time and offered a lovely boost "when you’re freezing, tired and just want your bed."

United have played eight games in the last 27 days, averaging a game every three days. That run isn't set to stop, as they're still in four competitions this season.

Ten Hag wanted his players to get as much rest as possible before Sunday's eventual 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.

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The club also laid out contingency plans for if the flight back from London ended up being diverted.

Coaches were on hand at Liverpool and East Midlands to bring them back to Manchester if required. It's the care and attention which has been missing at Old Trafford under previous regimes.

Any talk of United being in a title race ended after picking up one point from the last available six. A dramatic defeat to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday was a bitter blow.

Ten Hag is keen to ensure the result doesn't overshadow his team's good work over the last few months.

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He told United's official website: "We already have seen how the mentality from the players has changed over the last couple of months.

"But we also have to notice [that] today [against Arsenal] that we still have a way to go and to be on top level.

"[I] realise we are in a good position, realise we are in a good development and good process, but in this moment, I am annoyed."

They return to action against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening. They then face Championship outfit Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday.