Ralf Rangnick insists his Man Utd flops against Man City have NOT given up… there’s just a huge gap between the sides

RALF RANGNICK insists his Manchester United flops against Manchester City did NOT throw in the towel.

But he admits there is a huge gap between his side and the champions after Sunday’s dismal derby defeat.

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Two goals each from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez ensured City Cruise a victory 4-1 win at Etihad.

United – without Cristiano Ronaldo – put in a decent performance in the first half and scored a great goal through Jadon Sancho.

But they didn’t show up after the break and let City romp around in something Roy Keane called a “shameful” performance.

In fact, the statistics show United made just 16 passes in the last 10 minutes of the game – while City recorded 120.

And ex-Red Devil Keane was assisted in sentencing by Gary Neville “Egos” in Rangnick’s dressing room.

However, the German tactician insists his players did NOT give up at Etihad.

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Rangnick believes United’s flops have really struggled to keep up with City’s blistering pace.

But they just looked bad due to the difference in quality between the two sides.

Rangnick explained: “Honestly, I didn’t get the impression that they didn’t try.

“But it’s difficult against a team like Man City, once you’re in possession 3-1 against the best team in the world, it’s difficult.

“I can’t blame anyone for not trying and throwing themselves into this game, but after the third goal it was difficult.

“After 28 games you are as far away from any team as the table shows (22 points).

“The second half showed that you can hardly keep them from their own goal with momentum and a 3-1 lead.

“Look, I’m still the manager for another 10 Premier League games and hopefully a few more Champions League games and there’s no point in speculating now on how many players we would need in which positions we need them.

“That’s not my problem. At the moment it’s about preparing the team for the Tottenham game and then for a very important game against Atletico in the Champions League.

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“Right now we – and that’s me – have to be happy with the players we have. That is clear. We’ve lost two if not three strikers since Christmas, everyone knows that.

“Again, this is a fact and we need to deal with it. I’m not complaining about that, so it’s important for us to look ahead and make sure we continue to develop the team, which we’ve been doing over the last few weeks and months.

“We don’t always play against Manchester City. We have other teams and we showed against West Ham and against other teams like Leeds that we’re capable of winning those games and that’s my main task for the next two and a half months.