Manchester United's stand-in captain David De Gea has broken the squad's social media silence after the 4-0 drubbing by Everton with a heartfelt apology to fans.
De Gea received some criticism for his positioning to allow Gylfi Sigurdsson to arrow home Everton's second of the day but was helpless to prevent the other Toffees' goals on a chastening day for the Reds.
The defeat is United's sixth in eight games, a run of form which has significantly damaged their top four hopes and left many supporters angry.
But De Gea was the first United player to take to social media to apologise — after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ashley Young did so in the post-match press conference — and thanked the visiting Reds for their "unconditional support".
He said: "Difficult to put what I am feeling today into words. As captain I want to say that the performance of the team today, on top of the result, was not up to the standard expected when you pull on this shirt.
"We know that we have to improve but words mean little: we have to give everything for this club.
"Thank you for your unconditional support."
With uncertainty over the Spaniard's long term future , the message will come as music to United fans' ears.
Although De Gea hasn't been at his best in recent weeks, he's one of the senior players in Solskjaer's squad and the majority of fans would like him to stay beyond his current June 2020 contract expiry date.
Nemanja Matic joined De Gea in accepting the blame for the defeat.
He told beIN Sports: "That was one of the worst games, for me personally, and also for the team. I think we deserved it. We didn’t play how we wanted to play.
"It’s hard for me to speak about. I don’t think it’s the fault of the young players. I think the most responsibility is on me, because I am one of the most experienced players and if someone is to blame, then it is me.
"When you win the midfield battle it’s easier to play, and we didn’t do that today."
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