With Wayne Rooney amongst a batch of Manchester United players left home in England, Chris Smalling captained the Red Devils to a 1-0 loss at Feyenoord in the first group stage match of their Europa League campaign on Thursday.
The goal came late, with Tonny Vilhela arriving in the 18 to meet a right wing cross and send the Dutch hosts to all three points.
[ MORE: Match recap | Mourinho reacts ]
That also means two-straight losses for United, with a Sunday trip to Watford on the docket.
From ManUtd.com:“We don’t have time to dwell on the defeat and we have a few days to recover now. We need to stand up and be counted on Sunday.
“We’ve got to show a lot of character because it’s unacceptable to go and lose three games in a row.”
It’ll be three games in eight days for United, compared to two in eight for Watford. But with Rooney, Antonio Valencia, Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard rested, United should be well-prepared to battle.