Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic set for three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct
Serb allegedly flung an elbow at Manuel Lanzini in the 80th minute of the 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday
NEWCASTLE striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is set for a three-match ban after being charged with an "act of violent conduct" in Saturday's win over West Ham.
The Serbian international caught Manuel Lanzini with an elbow in the 80th minute of the 3-0 victory.
As the incident happened off the ball, it was not spotted by the match officials but was picked up by TV cameras.
He now has until 6pm on August 30 to respond to the charges.
A statement on Newcastle's official site read: "Off the ball incidents which are not seen at the time by the match officials are referred to a panel of three former elite referees.
"Each referee panel member will review the video footage independently of one another to determine whether they consider it a sending-off offence.
"For retrospective action to be taken, and an FA charge to follow, the decision of the panel must be unanimous."
It will be bittersweet for Mitrovic who fired himself into first-team contention by opening his Premier League account in the win over the Hammers.
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The 22-year-old has been fighting for his Newcastle future under boss Rafa Benitez.
His 18 minute cameo on Saturday was his first league minutes of the season and he only started 11 matches in the Championship last campaign.
But his latest charge won't have helped his cause as he looks set to miss crucial matches against Swansea, Stoke and Brighton.