Manchester United's Harry Maguire will be absent from the team's upcoming trip to Chelsea due to an additional one-match ban imposed for misconduct. An independent regulatory commission charged Maguire on April 1 for behaving in an "improper manner" towards fourth official Matt Donohue after receiving a red card in the match against Bournemouth on March 20. Maguire was reacting to being sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity when he pushed forward Evanilson, leading to a penalty kick that resulted in an equalizing goal. Having already served a suspension for the red card in the 2-1 loss to Leeds, Maguire will now miss the Chelsea match on Saturday due to the additional ban.
The 33-year-old admitted to the offense and was fined £30,000. According to the FA's written reasons, Donohue claimed Maguire said, "You're a joke, you're all a f****** joke," as he left the field, although Maguire claimed he did not insult the official but rather said "something along the lines of 'it is a f****** joke.'" With Maguire and Lisandro Martinez both suspended, Manchester United's center-back options are limited for the Chelsea match, with potential replacements including Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, and possibly young players from the youth ranks.