Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini suspended for Manchester United's EFL Cup clash against West Ham
It’s certainly not the best of times for the Red Devils and their fans. Manchester United have already suffered a setback even before the EFL Cup kick-off as they will be hosting the midweek tie without two of their vital midfield generals. Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are set to sit out owing to suspension.
Manchester United will take on West Ham again on Wednesday in their EFL Cup quarter-final clash. This time around, they will hope to turn the tide in their favour in order to seal a berth in the semi-final. However, they will have to do so without the services of the two suspended players.
Both Fellaini and Pogba received their fifth bookings of the season against West Ham on Sunday and will hence be out of the midweek game. While the players were booked for their on-field actions, referee Jonathan Moss, was forced to book United manager Jose Mourinho for his touchline antics and he was sent to the stands.
Pogba has previously been booked on four occasions against Watford, Chelsea, Manchester City and Burnley before he added this one to the list. Fellaini, who is infamously known for strong challenges, was also booked for his actions against Hull City, Manchester City, Watford and Liverpool.
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Pogba’s yellow card will be a big blow for the Red Devils as the record signing seems to be getting back to his best. His dive in the 27th minute of the match, after he successfully assisted Zlatan Ibrahimovic for United’s equaliser, didn’t go unnoticed and Moss booked him straight away.
The incident triggered further outrage from United boss as Jose Mourinho, seemingly frustrated with the proceedings, kicked a bottle only to be sent off for the second time this season. With Mourinho up in the stands, it was assistant Rui Faria who took the responsibility of leading the side.
Fellaini, however, didn’t take much time to make his presence felt as he was booked within minutes of his arrival on the pitch. Coming on as a substitute for Jesse Lingard in the dying moments of the match, the Belgian delivered a nasty challenge on Mark Noble to earn his fifth yellow card of the season.
The unavailability of Pogba, in particular, who has slowly started to thrive in a United shirt, will be a big loss for United. Michael Carrick is also set to miss the match due to the injury he picked up just before the West Ham match.