Manchester United U23s coach Neil Wood has defended youngster Hannibal Mejbri.
The 18-year-old was not at his best as United's Under-23 side lost 3-1 to Derby County.
When the game was at 2-1, Mejbri was sent off for an inappropriate gesture he aimed towards the referee.
He was unhappy at the number of times Derby players fouled him during the game.
And Wood says Mejbri must learn to cope with being kicked by opposition players.
Asked about the incident, Wood said, per the Manchester Evening News: "You've seen throughout the season, there've been enough videos out there of him being kicked numerous times in games and his frustration does take over and get the better of him.
"We've tried to educate him throughout the season, not rising to it — [telling him] 'you're gonna be a target' and to take inspiration from the best players who just get up and intimidate with the football again, keep getting on the ball.
"I've just had a 25-minute chat with him. He needs to learn. This is something he's going to have for most of his career, if he goes on to have a successful career he's going to get targeted and face a lot of these tackles."
Wood continued: "It's something he's going to have to learn to cope with, and not let it affect his game to the point where he's trying to talk to the referee or prove to the opposition that he can outsmart them.
"He's got to just concentrate on his game. Tonight is over and done with. He got sent off, we lost the game. But for his development and his future, he's got to learn."
Despite his lashing out against the Rams, Wood insists Mejbri has a great character.
He added: "I think he's a great character.
"You can have a very good conversation with him about all things. And I think he's come a long way since the start of the season: things like positional discipline, work rate, working for the team, standing up for himself and standing out with quality. He's come so far this season and it's a shame because he's played some really good games and little incidents like this take over and become the focus.
"You don't want to take that bit of tenacity out of him, it's just got to be a bit more controlled. But he's a fantastic young lad and if he keeps working and going in the right direction, he can have a good career."
