Rangnick warns Manchester United flops 'there are no excuses or alibis'

Ralf Rangnick has warned his Manchester United players that 'there are no excuses or alibis' and claims some of the squad are 'struggling' with expectations.

United fell to a disappointing defeat away at Everton last week and the former Leipzig boss is looking to ensure there isn't a repeat when they host Norwich on Saturday afternoon.

The United boss has called on his players 'to cope and deal' with the pressure as they look to salvage their season and says the final fixtures will be 'a test of character' for his squad.

Speaking ahead of the game against Norwich, the interim United boss was brutally honest in his assessment of the current squad.

Rangnick said: 'It might be with one or two or three of our players.

'It seems to be like that, that the level of expectation is high and some of the players seem to struggle with their own performance.

'But, again, there are no alibis and no excuses. We have to be ready to cope and deal with it.

'I'm sure they are fully aware of that and I'm convinced and very positive that all the players know about this. It's a test of character and mentality.

After a disappointing loss to 17th placed Everton, Rangnick says a defeat against Norwich is 'unthinkable' - but admits his players must be wary to avoid embarrassment.

Rangnick said: 'It should be unthinkable but we all know in football that things like that can happen. We saw that even in the European cup games and in other leagues.

'We saw it this week that things like that can happen but this is what makes this ball game so interesting. You never know what the outcome will be.

'I'm pretty positive we will have a reaction against Norwich. This has to happen and we owe it to ourselves and our supporters — and we owe that to the whole club.

'It's a test of character but we have to invest enough energy into the game with regard to total distance sprints, fast runs.

'We will give them the best possible game-plan and we will try to with regard to line-up and formation.

'Then it's up to the players to show that they're still ambitious and that they want to finish the season on the highest and best possible note.'

The former Leipzig coach was quick to agree that his side did not show enough desire and intensity in the loss to Frank Lampard's Toffees.

He said: 'We're fully aware and we all agree that this is the league with the highest intensity in Europe.

'That's why I was very disappointed with the game against Everton, that we were second best in all the statistics with regard to total distance, fast runs, sprints…

'This is just not acceptable. This should not happen again any more no matter which team we are playing.

'But whatever I think or you think was the reason behind the performance at Everton, we have to be able to, in our house, beat a team like Norwich and show the best possible performance. But the truth and reality is on the pitch.'