It's time for Man Utd to prove the media wrong about our mentality - Rangnick
Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has challenged his players to prove to the media and their supporters that they are not mentally weak.
The Red Devils have been accused of having mentality issues amid another difficult season for the club.
United have lost ground in the race for a top-four finish, having won just one of their last five games in the Premier League and crashed out of the Champions League.
What did Rangnick say?
But Rangnick has urged his players to rise to the occasion to have a strong finish to the season.
“[It's] not only at home we have to show that in the remaining seven games," he told the club's website.
"That’s why I called it a test of character; we have to show the supporters and the media and the public that the speculation about a lack of mentality and character is not true.
"Even if I speak about that in the press conferences every week and I tell the journalists that I don’t think this is the case, it doesn’t help the truth because the reality is on the pitch.
"We have to show it on the pitch.”
What next for Man Utd?
United are still in contention for a place in the Premier League's top four.
Tottenham currently occupy the last spot which guarantees a place in next season's Champions League, sitting six points ahead of Rangnick's men.
Arsenal are just three behind their north London rivals, while West Ham are level on points with United.
“Mathematically it can happen, but it doesn’t help us at all if we speculate about that," Rangnick said of their chances of finishing fourth.
"It’s about us winning our own games, that’s the only thing we can influence and we can affect ourselves – our own performance and results. We need to make sure that we start winning games again.
"I said before the game against Leicester that we needed nine points out of the next three games. So far we have one point out of six from Leicester and Everton. So there is no point speculating about whether it's possible or not.
"Yes, mathematically it might still be possible, but we have to start winning games and we need to do that on Saturday."