Manchester United full-back Ashley Young has been banned for three matches after accepting a Football Association charge of violent conduct.
Young, 32, appeared to strike Southampton’s Dusan Tadic with an elbow in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
The incident was not spotted by referee Craig Pawson.
Young accepted the charge on Sunday, and his argument the three-game suspension was excessive was rejected by a regulatory commission.
He will miss United’s trip to Everton on New Year’s Day, Friday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Derby, and a home league match against Stoke.
Speaking after the game, Tadic said: “He elbowed me and I asked him: ‘Why did you do this?’
“I didn’t really understand. I can fall down but it was really strange because I didn’t expect that from him.”
Asked if Young should have have been sent off, Tadic said: “Yes.”
United have dropped to third in the Premier League after three successive draws and were beaten at Bristol City in the Carabao Cup on 20 December.
Young, who joined United from Aston Villa in June 2011, returned to the England squad last month after a four-year international absence.
Swansea City defender Kyle Naughton has also been banned for three matches – for stamping on Watford’s Stefano Okaka.
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Source: BBC