Manchester United to decide whether to appeal Paul Pogba’s red card ahead of derby clash against Man City
The French international has been banned for three games after being sent off against Arsenal for a stamp on Hector Bellerin
MANCHESTER UNITED will decide today whether they will appeal against Paul Pogba’s red card.
The £89million star was sent off for stamping on Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin.
His three-match ban rules him out of Sunday’s Manchester derby plus games against Bournemouth and West Brom.
But Pogba believes he only caught Bellerin accidentally because the Spaniard pulled out of a 50-50 challenge.
He told fellow Frenchmen Olivier Giroud, Thierry Henry and William Gallas after United’s 3-1 Emirates win how Bellerin’s unorthodox attempt to block the ball with his trailing leg led to the accidental contact.
United are aware that the FA can add an extra match to Pogba’s suspension if they think an appeal is ‘frivolous’.
But boss Jose Mourinho could decide that is a risk worth taking if there is a realistic chance of having Pogba available for the Old Trafford showdown with leaders City.
Pogba, 24, was also unhappy at the role his French international team-mate Laurent Koscielny played in the dismissal.
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The Arsenal skipper raced over to urge referee Andre Marriner to take action for Pogba’s 75th-minute challenge.
Mourinho revealed: “I know Paul is a bit disappointed with his French colleague for his reaction.
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“Everyone knows Paul is a clean player and it was not his intention.”
The FA are also waiting on Marriner’s report before deciding if they need to take further action against Pogba for sarcastically applauding baying Arsenal fans as he left the pitch following his straight red.
But it is unlikely they will charge Pogba for his response unless the incident is specifically mentioned by Marriner.