Manchester United star faces retrospective ban after Arsenal clash | OneFootball

Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte could be banned retrospectively for his headbutt on Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, with referee Andy Madley seemingly missing the incident.

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In the aftermath of Andy Madley’s decision to award Arsenal a penalty for a foul on Kai Havertz, Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was involved in a confrontation with the Gunners forward.

Images of the incident appear to show Ugarte headbutting Havertz, but Madley seemingly didn’t see it.

The referee didn’t book Ugarte or give him a talking-to, and there was no VAR in use to advise him to review the decision. Though the system will be used later in the competition, it wasn’t in play for the third-round games.

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In cases like these, where an incident was missed by the referee and with no VAR to alert him to it, the FA can choose to retrospectively hand out a suspension.

If the incident is viewed as violent conduct, that would mean a three-game ban for the 23-year-old. United’s next three domestic fixtures are against Southampton, Brighton, and Fulham, though the games Ugarte missed would depend on exactly when a potential ban is confirmed.

One player who will definitely be suspended is Diogo Dalot, who will serve a one-game ban for his red card for two yellows against Arsenal. He’ll miss the Southampton game, as red-card bans carry across domestic competitions.

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A retrospective ban for Ugarte wouldn’t make much difference to Arsenal now, with the Gunners 17 points ahead of Manchester United in the Premier League table, and United not set to face any of the current top-eight teams until March.