Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came out fighting in his press conference on Friday, even referencing famous puncher Tyson Fury.
The Red Devils boss bullishly responded to questions over his future at Old Trafford after the shocking 5-0 humiliation against Liverpool on Sunday.
And reflecting on the match, Solskjaer called on his side to answer setbacks like heavyweight world champion Fury.
The ‘Gyspy King’, born in Manchester, rose from the brink in the first fight of his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, and hit the deck twice in their most recent bout.
However, Fury came back even stronger on both occasions to avoid defeat, while United were beaten to a pulp by their opponents.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Solskjaer said: “You have to hold your hands up and that performance is not acceptable, and we have to look at why it was not acceptable.
“I use the analogy: it felt like we were a boxer being punch drunk, knocked down in the first four minutes or first round. We had a chance, we conceded a goal, we wanted to sort it out, and went a bit too open and too frantic against a good team.
“You see Tyson Fury when he gets knocked down a few times, it’s remarkable how calm and composed he is on the floor. Counts to six, seven, eight, he gets up and gets ready, ready to go again. We got up too early and tried to sort it.
“Minds have to be better but we’ve had to look at different things as well, the communication has to be direct.”
Solskjaer also finds himself on the brink, having failed to win any of his last four matches, with a gruelling set of fixtures on the horizon, starting at Tottenham on Saturday.
talkSPORT understands Antonio Conte has already been sounded out should United decide to sack the Norwegian.
He is safe for now – and gave a combative response to questions about his future.
He said: “I’ve been through some very bad moments as a player here and when I’ve been a manager I’ve dealt with setbacks.
“There have been two or three crises at least since I became manager here, and one thing I can say is I’ll always give it a good shot and fight back.”