Bastian Schweinsteiger Charged with Violent Conduct: Latest Comments, Reaction

Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has received a charge of violent conduct for an incident during the Premier League match against West Ham United and will immediately serve a three-match ban.

The Germany international was initially reported to have opted to contest the charge, per the Mirror's David McDonnell, but an official statement from the Football Association revealed he accepted the charge on Thursday.

As initially reported by the Guardian's Daniel Taylor, Schweinsteiger smashed into Hammers defender Winston Reid with his forearm, leading to the sanction:

The Press Association's Paul Hirst shared the statement from the FA:

Schweinsteiger was spotted making contact with Reid during the 0-0 draw in what appeared to be a deliberate elbow to the throat or head. As reported by the Mail on Sunday's Chris Wheeler, Hammers manager Slaven Bilic and Reid both claimed he should have received a red card for the incident, and the FA agreed.

The FA explained that referee Mark Clattenburg failed to spot the incident, but it was captured on camera, as Schweinsteiger could not have been charged if the official had seen it and did not deem it a violent act. Clattenburg spoke to both players immediately after the incident.

The former Bayern Munich man refused to comment on the incident on Monday, per Ian Herbert of the Independent:

The 31-year-old has been a key cog in Manchester United's midfield, starting the vast majority of matches in the past few weeks, per WhoScored.com.

Losing him to a suspension is a big blow for the Red Devils, with Premier League clashes against Bournemouth, Norwich City and Stoke City approaching in the packed Christmas period, though the one silver lining is that he should be fresh for Chelsea's trip to Old Trafford on December 28.