Manchester United has been dealt a severe blow as Zlatan Ibrahimovich is set to serve a three-match ban after accepting the English FA’s charge of violent conduct in an EPL match in which Zlatan was seen pulling an elbow action on Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings.

As well as the FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea, Mourinho’s former club, at Stamford Bridge on Monday, Ibrahimovic will miss the Premier League games away to Middlesbrough and at home to West Bromwich Albion on April 1, after the international break.

The Swedish striker had until 6pm on a Tuesday to respond to the FA and opted not to contest the charge, despite claiming in the wake of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford that Mings had “jumped” into his right elbow. The incident was missed by referee Kevin Friend at the time but it was determined that the incident merited a retrospective red card when the footage was reviewed on Monday.