Rafa Benitez says playing with character and creating a strong mentality will be key to Everton starting their Premier League campaign on a winning note against Southampton next week.

Everton completed their pre-season fixtures at Manchester United on Saturday and Benitez admitted his side were below par in losing the game.

United scored three times in 20 first-half minutes and added a fourth goal in stoppage time.

Manager Benitez, however, was without the game-changing forward duo of Richarlison, who won gold with Brazil at the Olympic football tournament on Saturday, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, nursing a minor knock.

“Today, we didn’t have our strikers, the others did their jobs but it is totally different when we have specific players, especially good players, up front,” Benitez told evertontv. 

“They are not here, so that changed the dynamic of the team a little bit.

“We have to improve in some areas but the main thing is to be sure we have the team together, then we can manage the way we want to play, with the players who can normally make the difference.

“We want to play like we did in the [earlier pre-season] games.

“Trying to create chances, trying to move forward quickly.

“I think as a team we have to improve. 

“Not just a couple of players. As a team we have to be sure that the understanding between players, the mentality, the character is there – and then if we have that, we can be more competitive.

"Today we conceded goals that, in the end, don't give us any hope of a good result... it was more about trying to play the way we want but the other team was much better and we couldn't cope with that.

“It is not easy but for us some of the ideas we were implementing during pre-season are what we have to do now.”

Benitez was appointed Everton boss on the final day in June and has overseen five practice matches.

A pair of training game victories at USM Finch Farm were followed by two wins in Florida – one on penalties – before Saturday’s loss at Old Trafford.

Everton hit the bar through Andros Townsend and created more of the openings after half-time.

But Mason Greenwood, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes struck for the hosts in the opening half and Diego Dalot added a fourth in stoppage time.

Spaniard Benitez has one week on the training ground prior to Southampton visiting next week and will use the lessons he’s learned over the past five weeks to inform his planning.

“Normally, when you have time, you can know the players and they know you and how you want to play,” said Benitez.

“This pre-season has been a little bit special, with players away, with the Olympics, the Copa America and the Euros.

“There are too many things to analyse everything properly.

“But at least these games give you an idea what to expect… of what we have to change.

“We conceded goals [against United] where maybe we could have done better, obviously.

“At the same time, we reacted a bit in the second half, we had a couple of chances.

“But overall it was not a great performance.

“You have to learn and try to improve things for the next game, which is the most important one.”

Both teams made multiple changes during the game in Manchester – Everton beginning the process with three half time substitutions – and Benitez gave 18-year-old Lewis Dobbin, scorer of three pre-season hat-tricks for the Under-23 team, the final 14 minutes.

There was an energetic second-half appearance from midfielder Tom Davies, too.

“The main things I'm asking from our players are to have some intensity, some character, some desire, some commitment on the pitch... and after, try to do the other things – I think he [Davies] has that, for sure," said Benitez.

“We needed to give minutes to some players and also see them on the pitch in a specific game and level.

“There was a lot of information for the next game.

“It’s not about individuals, it's more about the team.

Benitez added: "I think he [Dobbin] did well. 

“It was an opportunity for the young players to show what they can do.

"Obviously, it's not a game you can have an opinion on, or criticise the boys, because the team was not doing what we have to against a good team.

"But at least he tried and the other young lads were trying. I'm happy with that.”