Which is why we should be playing youth in games like this. They might not be perfect, but they'd get valuable experience and be looking to impress. You can't tell me brown wouldn't have gave as much as salah did that half.
That would be valuable playing time though. It isn't a given van gaal will play someone like mata in the starting xi in the league. This could hurt him.
I meant he is no mata in that he isn't the one to creatively break down the defense even when he is connecting his passes. He is very much a work horse player.