Huddersfield Town boss Wagner backs Rajiv van La PArra to move on from diving furore

The Dutchman was shown a yellow card during the goalless draw at Burnley after trying to win a penalty by throwing himself to the floor.

Van La Parra’s actions incensed the Clarets players and manager Sean Dyche, while replays of the incident brought further harsh words from pundits and fans alike.

Ahead of Saturday’s high-profile fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, however, Wagner has no qualms over the wideman.

“I said after the game it was the wrong decision from him,” said the 45-year-old German. “It was something we don’t like to see, he got a yellow card and we go on.”

Pressed further at Thursday afternoon’s media briefing about van La Parra’s conduct, Wagner replied: “Is there anyone in this room who wasn’t cheeky in his life. They should raise their hand and they can criticise, so from my point of view, I don’t like to see it, but we shouldn’t make it too big.

“I will back my players and give them all the support they need. I am much more focused on what he did in the 30 minutes against Burnley, apart from this one situation.

“It wasn’t a situation I like, but everything else, he made an impact when he came on the grass.”

Steve Mounie, the club’s £11.5m record signing, is again missing with a heel problem that Wagner expects to have cleared by Town’s first outing after the international break at Swansea City on October 14.