Manchester United are on the brink of losing Romelu Lukaku to a potential three-game ban after a footage emerged of him kicking Brighton defender Gaetan Bong in the groin, some sources have told ESPN FC.
Manchester United welcomed a stubborn Brighton unit at Old Trafford at the weekend and despite several attempts, the Devils could only manage a single goal, courtesy of a deflected effort from left-back Ashley Young. The game did end up positively, but the match footages have caught Romelu Lukaku kicking Bong in the groin not just once, but twice. Just in, it was the same corner in which Ashley Young scored the winner.
The incident went unnoticed in the due time, but ESPN has reported that referee Neil Swarbrick, the man who was in charge of the fixture, is due to submit his match report on Monday – that is today (which he should have, by now) and FA are set to review the video footages and if the Belgian is found guilty, he will be banned for United’s next three games. United next face an all confident Watford side at Vicarage Road on Tuesday before travelling to the Emirates to face Arsenal and welcoming Manchester City to Old Trafford.
The aforementioned fixtures, undoubtedly, will decide the course of the title race hence United at least need two wins out of three. Meanwhile, for Lukaku, the Belgian was seen aiming two kicks at Bong and the second of which unfortunately hit the Brighton defender. Furthermore, should Swarbrick not mention the incident in his report, the FA will personally look into the scenes and if judged guilty, the 24-year-old will be charged with violent conduct.
Lukaku started off this season with a bang, but like many of his other teammates, he has eventually faded away. Till date, the Belgian has scored 12 goals in 20 games but has only managed one goal in in his last 10 appearances. Should the Belgian get a suspension, Mourinho will be left with Zlatan Ibrahimovic but it is highly unlikely that the Portuguese will line Ibrahimovic up for an entire game.
The 36-year-old is indeed capable of turning a game around, but judging by the intensity of his injury, Mourinho might use Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial as his striker.
