Marouane Fellaini says Manchester United’s players need to stand up and be counted in order to get the club out of a ‘little crisis’.

Defeat to Watford on Sunday made it three successive defeats for the Old Trafford club, the first time in more than 12 years that manager Jose Mourinho has suffered such a fate.

United were beaten by neighbours City in the Manchester derby while they also suffered a Europa League loss against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.

Fellaini says the players must prove they are big enough for the task ahead, starting with the EFL Cup trip to Northampton.

“We can say it’s a little crisis because a club like Manchester United cannot lose three games,” he told French TV station SFR Sport.

“Yes it’s low, but we are men and we must stand up together and show ourselves. “To lose [against Watford] was a tough moment, but we must be ready to go again on Wednesday. We need to focus.

At the moment heads are down but, as I said, we must stand together and fight and show that we are confident.” Life under Mourinho started in good fashion when United picked up a perfect nine points from nine available in the Premier League.

Defeat at Vicarage Road, however, has seen leaders Manchester City move six points clear of their neighbours, who dropped to seventh in the league at the weekend.

Fellaini felt Marcus Rashford’s second-half leveller at Vicarage Road was a sign that Mourinho’s half-time words had been heeded by the players, but late strikes from Juan Camilo Zuniga and Troy Deeney condemned the visitors to a 3-1 defeat.

United are 1.30 to win at Northampton in the EFL Cup. The hosts are 9.50 with the draw 5.50.