AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi has admitted that his team has to improve quickly after seeing them get thrashed by Manchester City on their pre-season tour of the USA.

Milan were hammered 5-1 by the Premier League champions on Sunday, with four of those goals conceded inside the opening 26 minutes.

With the new Serie A campaign on the horizon, Inzaghi has told his players that only hard work on the training pitch will get them up to a competitive level.

"It's in front of everybody's eyes that we have to improve in lots of areas. We've not been working long and we're coming off the back of an eighth-place finish. We have to work a great deal," he told the club's official website.

"Work is the only thing that will allow us to be competitive soon. It's down to me to watch the match again and ask for more from everybody. I think that once we're a complete group we can be competitive in the league."

Milan are back in pre-season action on Saturday when they face Liverpool in Charlotte.