It needs to take 30 seconds – Matic wants quicker VAR

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic insisted he was happy to see the video assistant referee (VAR) system used, but he wants it to be quicker.

A Juan Mata strike was ruled out by the VAR during United’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup on Saturday.

After a long delay and a technical issue, Mata’s effort was cancelled out.

Matic, 29, said he wanted the VAR to be part of the game, but the Serbian midfielder was unhappy with how long it took to make the decision.

“We saw the goal and we are not sure it was offside but the referee made a decision and they saw it on TV and we are happy that we scored again and that’s it,” he said.

“We just waited for the referee’s decision. We knew that he waited for the people to see it on TV, to analyse it, but it was a little bit strange because you have to wait two minutes to see what happened, but it’s okay. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not.

“I like it [VAR]. I think it will be better for football, they just have to do it a little bit quicker because we waited so long for the decision. Two minutes is a long time on the pitch but I think, overall, it will be good for football.

“It’s normal that referees make mistakes every game and they can refer it to TV, but it needs to be quicker.

“They have to do it in 30 seconds because, after two minutes, we are cold and this is the only problem. Other than that, I like it.”

A brace from Romelu Lukaku helped United past Huddersfield as they moved into the quarter-finals.