Manchester United made "strides forward" during the defeat to Liverpool, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United fell to a 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday but the Norwegian insists he saw enough from his team to suggest they are "on the right track."
"We've lost to Liverpool, a team that you all say are fantastic and we've been in the game until the last kick of the ball," Solskjaer said.
"And, for me, that's strides forward. And of course we're disappointed losing the game, we don't want to be behind them in the league, but there were signs there that we are on the right track, definitely."
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Defeat to Liverpool, who top the table by 16 points with a game in hand, prompted former United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to lay the blame for more than six years of poor recruitment at the door of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Neville suggested Woodward should be sacked but at a news conference on Tuesday, Solskjaer was reluctant to add any more fuel to the fire.
"Now is not the time to speak about recruitment," Solskjaer said.
"We're looking to the next game against Burnley. We're always looking to improve the squad and to improve the club but for my mind, now is not the time, Gary, to start this discussion."
United face Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday without top scorer Marcus Rashford, who is set for a spell on the sidelines with a back injury.
Solskjaer has received criticism for playing the 22-year-old in the FA Cup third round replay with Wolves but the United boss has defended his handling of the problem. "He'll get the time he needs to recover," Solskjaer said.
"We're always looking at improving the squad and seeing if there's anything out there but nothing I can talk about now.
"He's not had that injury before, no. He complained a little bit after Burnley. He felt it the first time, and we managed him as well as we could then.
"He had some days off for treatment and suddenly this was a new injury. He didn't have any injuries before then."