MAEL de Gevigney has called on his Barnsley team-mates to show a better ‘character and mentality’ after their 7-0 thumping at Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

The Reds have been roundly criticised, including by head coach Darrell Clarke, for their performance against the Premier League giants who were gifted several goals by sloppy play.

French defender De Gevigney told the Chronicle: “The cup is kind of a bonus.

“We didn’t expect to win 3-0 at Manchester United.

“But we have to play better. We need to show a better mentality and character on the pitch.”

He added: “We didn’t do our best or as much as we can. It was a tough night.

“After the first goals we dropped the intensity and they punished us.

“We all want to play at the best level but it showed us we are not good enough at the moment.

“We’re not giving everything for the club and the fans. We need to do better from Saturday.”

De Gevigney thanked the Barnsley fans who were noisy throughout.

“The fans were amazing. 7,000 people coming to a game away is unbelievable. It’s the first time I have seen that so I am really grateful.”

De Gevigney, who Clarke said was the only player who deserved praise, came up against a front three of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.

He said: “They are really sharp and quick. That’s the player you want to play against.”