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Ammon News - Erik ten Hag admitted Manchester United were “broken” after their FA Cup final on Saturday but also said that he was proud of his team after a “fantastic season”.

United were beaten 2-1 by Manchester rivals City at Wmebley Stadium as Pep Guardiola's side completed a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with a stunning volley after 12 seconds, with Bruno Fernandes' penalty cancelling out the quickest goal in FA Cup final history.

But City regained the lead through another Gundogan volley to seal victory, giving them a chance to emulate United's 1999 treble heroes in next weekend's Champions League final.

Ten Hag's first season in charge has seen United finish third in the Premier League, beat Newcastle United to win the League Cup – their first trophy since 2017 – and fall to a narrow FA Cup final defeat against City.

And the Dutch coach believes there are plenty of positives to take out of the campaign. “We are broken, disappointed of course,” Ten Hag said. “So it's tough. But I am proud of my team.

“We had a fantastic season. More than we could have imagined at the start. We finished third, qualified for the Champions League and we won a trophy and made another final. I am very happy with my team.”

Many United fans had started the long, train strike-impacted journey home when their rivals lifted the trophy, but Ten Hag and his team watched those celebrations.

“First of all, show respect always,” the Dutchman said. “But, yeah, of course, it's a motivation.

“You have to feel it in your stomach. This hurts and it has to be fuel.

The National News