Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has had a week and a half to forget.
The Portuguese midfield maestro has seen red in his last two games, the first of which came during The Red Devils 3-0 defeat to league rivals Tottenham in the Premier League last Saturday.
The 30-year-old was shown a straight red card following a tackle he made on James Maddison, however to the delight of Fernandes and Manchester United his red card was overturned following an appeal put in by the club.
However the United playmaker will have no such luck this time around, as he stands no chance of seeing his red card rescinded due to a little-known rule.
So what game or games will he miss? Here is everything you need to know.
Bruno Fernandes picked up his second red card in just five days
Unlike his red card against Tottenham, the club will be unable to appeal the decision
Why did Bruno Fernandes get a red card?
Fernandes was sent off in the 81st minute during United’s 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
The Red Devils captain received his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card for a high boot, after initially picking up a yellow in the 32nd minute of the game.
Can Fernandes’ red card against Porto be overturned?
Many Manchester United fans will be hoping that the same fate awaits their captain as his first red card offence against Tottenham in the Premier League just days before.
Which was later retracted following a successful appeal put in by the club.
However, unlike the red card against Tottenham in the Premier League, United will not be able to appeal the red card he picked up against Portugal outfit Porto.
This is because of a little-known rule which surrounds how Fernandes picked up his red card.
Because Fernandes picked up two yellow cards and it was not a straight red card, VAR was unable to step in and review the booking and potentially overrule the on-field decision.
The same philosophy applies for appeals as since Fernandes’ sending off was not a straight red card, United can not appeal it.
Fernandes picked up his second yellow card against Porto in the 81st minute after a high foot
The Portuguese midfielder was sent his marching orders after already receiving a yellow card in the first half
Will he miss Manchester United’s game against Aston Villa?
A sending off due to picking up two yellow cards typically results in a one-match ban, however due to UEFA’s rules, that game will not be Manchester United’s next game.
Which sees them come up against Aston Villa in the Premier League this Sunday.
This is because according to UEFA rules, when a player picks up a red card due to two bookable offences, they are to survive the one match suspension in the club’s next UEFA competition game.
UEFA states: ‘As a rule, a player or team official sent off by the referee is automatically suspended for the next match in a UEFA club competition’.
This means that Erik ten Hags star man will instead miss Manchester United’s third matchday in the Europa League on October 24, which sees an under pressure Erik ten Hag come up against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbache side.
