Bruno Fernandes insists Manchester United's confidence levels remain high despite the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag blamed part of that defeat to a lack of belief on the day and while Fernandes accepts the thrashing was a setback, he has cautioned against throwing away all the good work.
United had won four successive league games before Sunday, but find themselves 6-1 down at the Etihad before two late goals from Anthony Martial.
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"The confidence has grown, we’ve been doing really well, we can’t just throw everything away because of a result. We didn’t when we lost the first two games, we shouldn’t do it now, everyone is aware of that, everyone knows what we have to do," said Fernandes.
"It’s about getting back to the wins and belief in the process because it will take time. We’ve been doing really well in the previous games before City. It is a setback, but you have to get up, when you start getting a good result and we will get a good result tomorrow we will be back. That is the most important thing."
Fernandes had had a topsy-turvy time to his United career, helping the club to second and third place finishes in his first 18 months at Old Trafford before that trajectory came to a halt last season.
He's now invested in a new project with Ten Hag and believes that there will be some inconsistency before the team finds top gear under their new manager.
"When I came to the club probably it was not the best period for the club. We did really well and went to the Champions League the season after we get second place we went to the final of the Europa League," said Fernandes.
"And obviously, in my third season, the standard was not what this club deserves. Obviously, we start this season with a project and I think it is clear from the club that you want to make a standard with the manager and an idea of play and I think everyone has to be on the same page. It has been like that even with those two defeats.
"We did well in the pre-season but we get back and we understand that the Premier League is not that easy so we have to be at the high standard and the high level and understand that every game will be difficult.
"We get our four consecutive wins against big teams against Arsenal who are doing really well, with Leicester and Southampton who are tough to play away and obviously with Liverpool. Now we have had this setback but it has not changed anything on our ideas or our way of playing or what we want to do as a team. I think it should be like that.
"The club should change nothing at all because it is a process as the manager says. In this kind of process because if you got to the reality that we have had three months with the manager. It is completely different ideas and I think the team is doing really well.
"We had a bad result against one of the better teams in our league so it is tough because they are a rival and it's a derby but now it is time to get back and win straight away tomorrow and after get on our way again to win consecutive games."
Fernandes also said United are not comparing themselves with rivals such as City, Arsenal and Liverpool, despite beating the latter two at Old Trafford this season.
"No, we don’t have to focus on anyone else. We have to focus on ourselves. That has been the problem for the club in previous years," he said.
"We cannot compare ourselves with other teams. We have to do the best we can for this club because this club deserves to be at the top but we have to look at ourselves and look inside and understand what the problems or the mistakes are.
"You cannot change anything away from here. You can change what you do here day by day and on the games, do different things. That is what we have to think not about Arsenal, Liverpool or whatever. Look at ourselves and do the best we can and the future will decide where we are in the table whether that is first, second, third, fourth or even lower."
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