Louis van Gaal: Man Utd boss says Juan Mata's character should have been considered before red card

Juan Mata's character should have been taken into account
by referee Mike Dean before he sent off the midfielder, says
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.
United played with 10 men for more than an hour in
Sunday's 1-0 loss to West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Mata had never previously been sent off in the Premier
League, but was booked twice in the space of three
minutes.
"The referee has to know the person who makes the tackle
and that Mata never hurts an opponent," said Van Gaal.
The Spain international, 27, was shown his first yellow card
for blocking Darren Fletcher's quick free-kick, then given a
second when he clipped the heels of the former United
midfielder.
Referee Dean, who has been a top-flight official since 2000,
had little hesitation in producing a card for each offence.
"You can give the two bookings according to the rules but I
think the referee needs to know the player who is doing
that," added Van Gaal.
"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.
"I think you take that into account."
Big blow to top-four hopes - Van Gaal
Defeat against 11th-placed Albion - United's first league
loss at The Hawthorns since 1984 - has hampered their late
quest for Champions League qualification.
Van Gaal appeared to concede defeat in the race for the top
four following last month's 2-1 loss at Sunderland.
But consecutive wins against Arsenal and Watford, coupled
with rival teams dropping points, meant they would have
moved level with fourth-placed Manchester City by beating
West Brom.
However, they remain sixth in the Premier League table
after the narrow loss.
"It's a big blow because these kind of matches you have to
win," said Van Gaal.