Louis van Gaal claimed Manchester United were making good progress under his reign despite their embarrassing Champions League exit.
United failed to get out of the group stages for just the fourth time thanks to their 3-2 defeat in Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow on the same night meant United tumbled out of the Champions League for an unwanted reunion with the Europa League.
Yet despite failing to get through a relatively easy group - and failing to win over disgruntled supporters - Van Gaal insisted United were on the right track with him at the helm.
"At the moment I cannot defend myself because we are out of the Champions League," the United manager said. "Every word that I say is the wrong word.
Wolfsburg vs Manchester United - player ratings
"But when you see the facts we went further in the Capital One Cup (this season), qualified for the Champions League group, we have played all these matches and are still in a very good position in the league.
"The facts say we are better than last year. That's my answer because I can only give facts. I'm also disappointed that we are out of the Champions League."
