Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay admits the "negativity" around the club can be "massive".
McTominay reflected on United's Champions League defeat of Atalanta ahead of Sunday's meeting with Liverpool.
“It was so important in terms of the way we did win it, it was big for the team spirit and the dynamic of the group," he told manutd.com. "Obviously we're still disappointed by the Leicester game and a couple of games before that.
“It's not just we win this game and it's all sunshine and rainbows, we still need to do more as a group. It's not just a case of we win one game and we're back to being amazing, it's not the case, we have to make sure that, in every game, the mentality is the same.
“People wherever were speaking about how bad we were in the first half, well I didn't think we were at all. I thought the way we handled the first half was obviously difficult because they scored two goals from the two opportunities they had. Other than that, I think we had four or five opportunities, two of which the linesman has put his flag up for when he [our player] was onside. We were moving the ball and switching it and I didn't feel like we had a real threat against us.
“The negativity which surrounds the football club is obviously massive and I've experienced it many, many times. For new players coming in and the younger players coming in, they might not have seen this. Everybody is desperate to be negative against Manchester United. We're underdogs now and, in every game, people can write us off. At half-time I'm sure people were saying this, that and the other, but the players have got full belief in the coaches and the manager and we won't give up.
"We might be going through a bad time, but every team goes through a bad time at least once in a season, maybe twice," he continued. "But, for us, it's obviously scrutinised to a different level and, as I say, it's about blocking it all out and forgetting about it and concentrating on us. The spirit in the group was amazing on Wednesday night and that's the way we've got to keep it, that's the benchmark now and that's the standards that we've got to set for each other and demand."
