Erik ten Hag caught up in furious touchline row during Man Utd friendly in Spain

Erik ten Hag was involved in a heated row with the Cadiz manager during Manchester United's friendly defeat on Wednesday night.

United were beaten 4-2 by the Spanish side, who are currently second bottom of La Liga. Ten Hag's side were 2-0 down within the first 14 minutes and, despite battling back to 2-2 thanks to goals from Anthony Martial and youngster Kobbie Mainoo, they succumbed to a defeat.

They went in at the break 2-1 down following an argument between the two sets of staff on the touchline. Ten Hag and his Cadiz counterpart Sergio Gonzalez became embroiled in an angry confrontation, which had to be broken up by the fourth official.

Sergio was seen wagging his finger in Ten Hag's face before the United boss stormed off back to his technical area. The incident completed a miserable night for the Dutchman, who was furious with his side's performance in Spain.

"It's quite clear we were not awake, we were asleep in the first 15 minutes," he told MUTV. "[The second goal was] not possible [and] unacceptable. The first goal as well, a set play, bad organisation and discipline, you concede a goal.

"After that, we came into the game, but couldn't make the equaliser before half-time. The first 15 minutes cannot happen and it should not happen. That is not our standard. We will speak tomorrow. Draw a line and move on because this can't happen in the future."

Ten Hag was unable to name a full-strength United line-up for the friendly, with many of his players still away on international duty at the World Cup. However, he was still able to name an XI packed with experience as Martin Dubravka, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Elanga, Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho all featured.

Full-backs Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams were both culpable for the early goals as Cadiz defied their league position to take a 2-0 lead through Carlos Garcia's header and Anthony Lozano's finish. Cadiz have scored a league-low nine goals in 14 matches in La Liga, but troubled United's defence throughout.

Martial's penalty after Zidane Iqbal was fouled in the box and Mainoo's deflected effort levelled things, but it didn't last long. Ten Hag made 10 changes at half-time and Ruben Sorino's volley and Tomas Alarcon's goal ensured victory for Cadiz.

United will now play Real Betis on Saturday before returning to Carrington to prepare for their return to competitive action against Burnley in the Carabao Cup on December 21. Their first Premier League game back is against Nottingham Forest on December 27.