Erik ten Hag is aware that Manchester United's players are only human, but he still believes that in order for them to succeed, they must "act as robots."

On Sunday, when United made their Premier League comeback against top-four rivals Newcastle United, they suffered a lacklustre 2-0 loss.

Despite their success in the FA Cup and Europa League, they have only earned one point in their last three games in the top flight, placing them fifth in the standings.

Ten Hag, however, has no doubt his squad can rediscover their best.

"I agree we return to old habits, but I also know there are fluctuations," he told The Guardian. "[Players] are not robots. But we have to act as robots, as machines.

"We have to expect and demand of our players that they match the standards so when we are not doing [that] we are disappointed because that is our job.

"We have shown in so many games that [we can do that]. It was a tough, very strong belief, [with] confidence and passion and togetherness.

"We have, and have shown it in many games. We have shown we can win the games, but you have to do it in every game because that is the demand of Manchester United."

United can push themselves back into the Champions League qualification places with a win over Brentford on Wednesday, having games in hand on fourth-place Tottenham.

Ten Hag will also have one eye on next week's return to Europa League action, with the club set to host Sevilla a week on Thursday in the first leg of their quarter-final clash.