Manchester United defender, Harry Maguire, is set to miss the upcoming Premier League match against Chelsea due to an additional one-match ban. This follows his red card incident at Bournemouth last month.
The 33-year-old England defender was sent off and conceded a penalty in the 78th minute of the 2-2 draw at Vitality Stadium for pulling down Evanilson in the box. He was later charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) for comments he made towards fourth official Matt Donohue while leaving the pitch. In addition to a one-match suspension, Maguire has also been fined £30,000 by the FA. In their statement, they noted that he "acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards the fourth official following his dismissal".
According to Donohue's written reasons, "Maguire approached me as he was leaving the field of play and shouted 'You're a joke. You're all a ******* joke'". However, Maguire denied directing these words towards Donohue or any other match officials present. Despite this denial, Maguire acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate and issued an apology for his remarks.
Harry Maguire, Manchester United player, said:
"As I left the field of play following my dismissal I said something along the lines of 'it is a ******** joke',"
"I am certain that I did not call the fourth official or any match official, a joke or use any other form of insult."
Regulatory commission's decision
The regulatory commission considered imposing an additional two-match suspension but decided on just one more game after taking into account mitigating factors - including Maguire accepting charge for his misconduct.
United will also be without centre-back Lisandro Martinez at Stamford Bridge after he received a red card for violent conduct during Monday's 2-1 defeat by Leeds. This incident involved him pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair which led Michael Carrick - United boss - to label it as "one of the worst" decisions he has seen. Carrick suggested that the club will appeal against Martinez's red card.
Adding to United's defensive woes, Matthijs de Ligt is also set to miss out against Chelsea due to a long-term back problem. This leaves Carrick with 19-year-old Ayden Heaven and 20-year-old Leny Yoro as his only recognised central defenders. United currently sits third in the Premier League, level on points with fourth-placed Aston Villa and three points above Liverpool in fifth with six games left. A win for Chelsea on Saturday would close the gap between themselves and United to four points, potentially throwing United's hopes of Champions League qualification into doubt.
