Roberto Di Matteo has warned midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu that he needs to learn from past mistakes.
Di Matteo warns midfielder over future conduct
Roberto Di Matteo has warned Youssouf Mulumbu that he needs to learn from past mistakes when he returns from suspension.
The West Brom midfielder is available again for Saturday's derby clash at Aston Villa after serving a two-match ban for being sent off in the 4-1 win over Everton.
The dismissal against the Toffees was his second red card in the space of four matches, having previously been given his marching orders when the Baggies went down 2-0 to Manchester City at home.
Di Matteo believes Mulumbu's indiscipline stems from a lack of experience but recognises that he has been a key figure this season and has fired a warning in the 23-year-old's direction.
"I spoke to the player and he is a young player and he needs to learn from his mistakes," said the manager.
"We need to give a bit of attention to the fact that our players are young and still learning how to manage games.
"Youssouf has been a bit unlucky but he needs to make sure it doesn't happen again in the future.
"He is a committed player but, if we talk about the last sending off at Everton, he got the first booking for going into the crowd.
"The second one was harsh because it wasn't a bad tackle at all. He got the ball and didn't really hurt the other player.
"But that is how the game is now."
Villa test
Chris Brunt believes victory over Aston Villa could provide the springboard for West Brom to finish as the top club in the Midlands, but Di Matteo is not concerning himself with such matters.
"I don't think that kind of thing counts for very much at this stage of the season," he said.
"We are just delighted with the points we have accrued so far and are just going to try and add some more as soon as we can."
Albion will be bidding for their first win over Villa for 25 years and Di Matteo is ready to try and defy history once again.
He explained: "It seems like every game we go into this season it's a case of 'the Baggies haven't beaten this team for 20, 30 years!'
"I think it was a lot of years since we had beaten Newcastle before last weekend as well.
"It is kind of normal for us to go into games with that kind of record.
"We just hope we can put in another good performance, try to play as well as we can and hopefully we get something out of the game."
Villa are only two points above the relegation zone after losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on Monday.
Di Matteo said: "It is not for me to assess Villa. They've got their own manager that can do that.
"They are going to have some players back and we will just look after ourselves."
