- Manchester United centre-back set to miss Chelsea fixture
- Harry Maguire swore at referee Matt Donohue
- Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are set to start
Harry Maguire will miss Manchester United’s upcoming away fixture against Chelsea with his Football Association (FA) misconduct charge set to stand.
The centre-back directed abuse towards fourth official Matt Donohue after seeing red in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Maguire had already put himself in trouble moments earlier, hauling down Evanilson to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity and concede a penalty.
The FA confirmed the charge on April 1:
“It is alleged that the defender acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards the fourth official following his dismissal.”
Maguire’s absence compounds a dire defensive situation. Lisandro Martinez will also miss out after his dismissal against Leeds United, where he tugged at Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair—earning a second consecutive straight red card for United.
United intend to appeal, but expectations remain low that the three-match suspension will be overturned. The Argentine faces a three-match ban, including the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Who starts against Chelsea
With Maguire and Martinez both out with bans, and Matthijs De Ligt still nursing his injury, it is likely that interim manager Michael Carrick will be pushed into fielding a youthful centre-back partnership of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Across their 14 months at the club together, the duo have shared the pitch in just eight matches, combining for only 284 minutes.
From those eight fixtures, they have started alongside each other just three times—first in the chaotic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth in December, followed by the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa later that month, and then the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in January.
Under Carrick, their shared minutes shrink even further. Yoro and Heaven have featured together for just 14 minutes across three matches: against Everton, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth.
The pair will now be tasked with helping United reignite their poor form in a must-win match against Champions League hopefuls Chelsea. They have a collective age of 39 which raises concerns over their inexperience.
