Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag made a stunning confession after his side was handed a 3-0 defeat by Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ten Hag insisted that his side cannot play possession-based football like the way his previous team, Ajax FC, used to play as he believes that it is not in Man United's DNA to play such a brand of football.
He explained in a post-match interview why his side is unable to play possession-based football, something the club bought him for.
"We will never play the football we played at Ajax here," he said. "I now have other players, that's not why I came here.
"The player material you have determines how you will play. That's why we play here in a different way than I did at Ajax. That will have to be the case, because I can't play the same way here," he added.
The Dutchman then added that the football he used to play with Ajax was "typical" and he can't implement that style of play at the Manchester club because of the difference in players.
"That is not in the DNA of Manchester United at all. The football at Ajax is very typical, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, especially at the forefront."
It must be noted that United lost 3-0 to Man City courtesy of two goals and an assist from Erling Haaland, who made another record during the Manchester derby.
United ended the game with 40% possession at their home which didn't please the fans as no fanbase would want to get dominated at their own stadium, that too against the city rivals.
Manchester United have now lost five games in the PL this season and they currently sit in eighth position with just 15 points in 10 games.
That was Man City's third three-plus goal win against Manchester United at Old Trafford after beating them 6-1 in 2011, 3-0 in 2014 and 3-0 now in 2023.