Schweinsteiger cops 3 match ban from FA

The German global was charged by the Football Association after catching Reid with his left arm as they waited for a free-kick during the 0-0 draw on Sunday.

Their decision unanimously was that it should have warranted a red card and that Schweinsteiger should miss United’s matches against Bournemouth, Norwich City and Stoke City.

Bilic said: “Reid got injured in training, it doesn’t look good. I’m sure Bastian Schweinsteiger will still have a lot of fun at Manchester United”.

Schweinsteiger, 31, appeared to elbow West Ham United’s Winston Reid in the 40 minute of their Premier League match at Old Trafford on 5 December.

The ban comes into effect immediately after the German worldwide accepted the FA charge for violent conduct and opted not to appeal.

Referee Mark Clattenburg missed the incident but it was caught on video.

Former referee Dermot Gallacher told Sky Sports News HQ on Monday: “I’m not convinced the referee’s seen what we’ve seen”. “He’s still a world-class player and undisputedly our captain”.

“I have changed him and I don’t change players for nothing”. Straight after, he slipped and he felt it rupture, so it’s most definitely a rupture and we’re going to see on Friday exactly how long it’s going to be. He called for the fans to support him, and said that even experienced players sometimes need that time to adjust their game to a completely different style of play.

The likes of Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, Winston Reid and Victor Moses are all now out of action, but Bilic believes that they will be back before the close of red transfer window.