Man Utd suffered another setback as midfielder banned for three games

Man Utd midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been handed a three-match ban by the FA for violent conduct during the goalless draw with West Ham. The German was charged with elbowing Hammers defender Winston Reid and will serve the immediate suspension as he accepted the FA’s charge of violent conduct.

The incident, which occurred at Old Trafford last Saturday, was not seen by the match officials but was caught on the video, take a look at it here:

Reportedly match referee Mark Clattenburg talked to both players after the incident but did not include it in his match report. A panel of three independent referees each assessed the video footage independently and came to the conclusion that the player committed a sending-off offence. The German midfielder will now miss the Premier League games against Bournemouth, Norwich City and Stoke City.

Hammers defender Reid said after the game: “It was a red card. He knows what he’s done – he’s elbowed me in the face. The referee couldn’t see it, so we move on.” Hammers boss Slaven Bilic claimed after the game that it was a definite red card. “It was a moment of madness, and he deserved to be sent off, but it’s impossible for the ref to see everything,” said Bilic. “No matter how many referees you have, sometimes they can’t see. I’m sure if he did see it; it would have been a straight red. Of course, we are disappointed but it happens. He just didn’t see it. I saw it on the replays at half-time. It was a red, a big-time red. I understand the decision, but it was a crucial moment. I can’t blame the referee”.

It’s a big blow for Louis Van Gaal, as the host of players including Morgan Schneiderlin, Marcos Rojo, Wayne Rooney, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian are already struggling with injuries.