Manchester United manager David Moyes has called for more protection from referees for youngster Adnan Januzaj.

Januzaj appeared to be stamped on by Fulham's Sascha Riether during the closing stages of United's 3-1 win at Craven Cottage on Saturday, an action that the defender has since been charged for by the FA.

Moyes believes that the promising teenager deserves increased protection from the match officials, but urged him to follow the example of Lionel Messi when he does get kicked.

"I had not seen [the stamp] until after the game. The distance we were from the dug-out made it impossible to take it in. It is a bad stamp and it does look deliberate," Moyes told PA before learning of Riether's charge.

"That is for the referee to deal with on the day as far as I am concerned. It is over now. But I do think Adnan is going to need a little bit of protection or we are going to find that he is getting kicked up and down. I do think he deserves a little bit more than he is getting at this present time. We have spoken to him about [diving]. He gets kicked up and down in training every day. But he gets up.

"He has learned from the good professionals that he has got to get on with it and accept it. He only needs to look at Lionel Messi, who is probably the best in the world at getting kicked, getting up and getting on with it and continually producing magic all the time. I am not in any way comparing him to Lionel Messi but I am saying we hope the way he gets up after he has been kicked is the way Adnan continues to behave."

Januzaj has played nine times in all competitions since breaking into the United side this season, scoring two goals in the process.