Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said Juan Mata’s character should have been taken into account before he was sent off against West Bromwich Albion.

Referee Mike Dean showed Mata two yellow cards in the space of three first half minutes and United went on to lose 1-0 at the Hawthorns.

It was the first red card of the 27-year-old’s career and Van Gaal said Dean should have given Mata the benefit of the doubt.

WHAT VAN GAAL SAID

" The referee has to know the person who makes the tackle and that Mata never hurts an opponent. You can give the two bookings according to the rules but I think the referee needs to know the player who is doing that. The referee has to decide within one second but you know that Mata never hurts another player. That's why an experienced referee is always better because he knows the players better, he knows the game better and so on."

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