"It can't happen" - Ten Hag slams "unacceptable" behaviour from Man Utd players in Cadiz defeat

Erik ten Hag could not hide his frustration following Manchester United's 4-2 loss to Cadiz on Wednesday night.

United took on the La Liga side in a mid-season friendly in Spain as part of their preparations for the return of the Premier League later this month.

Ten Hag was without a number of first-team players, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Raphael Varane all in action at the World Cup in Qatar.

However, several senior players were available, with Donny van de Beek, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial all starting the match.

Despite their involvement, United fell behind early on - Carlos Garcia and Anthony Lozano giving the Spanish side a 2-0 lead inside 14 minutes.

United responded with an Anthony Martial penalty, and would equalise with a goal from youngster Kobbie Mainoo.

However, it would be Cadiz who would take the win home, with goals from Ruben Sobrino and Tomas Alarcon securing the win for the Spanish club.

Ten Hag: It's unacceptable

Ten Hag was frustrated with how Manchester United played, particularly early on in the game.

“It’s quite clear – we were not awake – still sleeping in the first 15 minutes,” Ten Hag told MUTV.

"They are a threat in transition. We have seen, second goal can't happen. You are not awake... but especially in the midfield we can't run off. It's not possible, unacceptable."

Ten Hag expressed some optimism about the second half, where a number of younger players were brought into the match, but also emphasised that they still have a lot to learn.

“They gave energy, they run, they fight,” said Ten Hag.

“Maybe not always in the right organisation, they make mistakes (because) they are not used to playing in this level. It was a good lesson.”

Despite his frustrations with the performance, Ten Hag said United could learn from the loss.

“We’ve spoken about (the performance and) we’ll do it tomorrow, again, but then we have to strike it , draw a line and move on. But it can’t happen in the future," he added.