Zlatan Ibrahimovic Denies Seamus Coleman Kick After Everton-Manchester United

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has denied intentionally kicking Seamus Coleman in the head during Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Everton on Sunday.

The pair came together in a tussle, with the Swede's boot catching the Republic of Ireland international in the face as they fell, but Ibrahimovic insisted to MUTV that it would have been clear if it had been an intentional kick (h/t MailOnline's Spencer Morgan):

"

It was a physical game, they played hard.

I heard one of the commentators say I kicked someone in the head on purpose, but it was a 50-50 duel and he pulled me down.

Trust me, if I want to kick someone in the head, I know how to kick someone in the head and make him fall asleep. That is the only thing I have to say.

"

Squawka News provided pictures of the collision:

The Telegraph's Paul Hayward was among those who felt the kick was deliberate:

According to Morgan, the 35-year-old could be facing retrospective punishment after referee Michael Oliver did not act upon the incident—he had a clear view of the pair, but he may have missed it from his angle.

If he did see it and decided not to act, Ibrahimovic will be safe from suspension.

The striker opened the scoring in the game with a deft lob over Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg before Leighton Baines equalised late on from the penalty spot.

As football writer Liam Canning noted, he had done little prior to that:

Ibrahimovic has had a habit of doing that in recent weeks—he's not always played that well, but he has managed to contribute an excellent six goals and an assist in his last five games for United.

As such, losing him for much of the busy Christmas period would be far from ideal, and so the Red Devils will be hoping he avoids any retrospective action.

If he is banned, one consolation for United is that, apart from Tottenham Hotspur in their next game, their festive fixture list should be relatively straightforward—Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland and Middlesbrough complete their run of games in December. 

Wayne Rooney has also returned to form in recent weeks, so they will have some cover for the Swede.