Queens Park Rangers assistant manager Mark Bowen has said that he does not blame Ashley Young for diving in their 2-0 loss at Old Trafford.

The Manchester United midfielder was awarded a penalty after going to ground following a challenge from Shaun Derry.

The R's midfielder was shown a red card for the incident, which an FA panel has since refused to rescind.

However, Bowen has defended the England international and has insisted that diving is now part of the game.

"Personally, I don't actually blame Ashley Young for what he did," he told talkSPORT. "He was through and he was trying to gain an advantage. Some people call it diving, cheating or whatever you like but it is part and parcel of the game now.

"You wouldn't actively [tell players to dive] before a game but when you're stood in the technical area and a player goes into the area and someone bumps into him you automatically shout, 'go down, go down', because you're thinking you might get a penalty."

Bowen joined the coaching staff at Loftus Road after Mark Hughes's appointment.