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.ootball Daily Podcast
Carabao Cup exit ‘a good thing’
Speaking prior to his side’s trip to Goodison Park, United manager Jose Mourinho said he was “running out of players” because of injuries.
Romelu Lukaku was taken off early in the draw with Southampton after a clash of heads, while fellow forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a knee problem. Defender Eric Bailly and midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick have long-term problems, and full-back Antonio Valencia has not played over the Christmas period.
“The fact that we don’t play the [Carabao Cup] semi-final is a good thing for us,” said Mourinho.
“We have no players to play these two possible extra matches in January.
“The boys are trying but we have lots of problems. We lost Ibrahimovic for a month. We’ve lost Lukaku, I don’t know for how long.
“I don’t remember the last time Fellaini played. It was long time ago. Michael Carrick played in pre-season but I don’t remember him playing during the season so we have problems. We have difficulty now to rotate players.
“I feel unlucky but unlucky in football? You have to change, which is what we try to do.”
