Zlatan Ibrahimovic Charged with Violent Conduct After Elbow on Tyrone Mings

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been charged with alleged violent conduct by the Football Association following his elbow on Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings during Saturday's 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

The FA released a statement announcing the charge on its official website on Monday, which detailed the incident and confirmed United have until 6 p.m. GMT (1 p.m. ET) on Tuesday to respond:

"

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings have both been charged with alleged violent conduct following the Manchester United versus AFC Bournemouth game on Saturday [4 March 2017].

The players were involved in two separate incidents in or around the 44th minute which were not seen by the match officials at the time but caught on video.

"

The incident against Mings came after the Cherries centre-back appeared to stamp on Ibrahimovic's head minutes prior, although referee Kevin Friend didn't appear to see the incident.

That sequence of events led the Red Devils star to reply with a seemingly malicious act of his own, appearing to elbow Mings intentionally while challenging for a header at a corner not long after.

At the same time, the FA announced on Monday that Mings would also be charged for his offence and is facing a potentially lengthier ban, as its statement read: "The FA has submitted a claim that the standard punishment that would otherwise apply for the misconduct committed by the Bournemouth defender is ‘clearly insufficient’."

Replays didn't paint either player in a good light, although Ibrahimovic said his elbow was not intentional when speaking to the media after the result, per Sky Sports' James Dale:

"

With the stamp I just felt something hit me behind my neck. With the elbow I see it clearly, I jump up, I jump high, I protect myself, same time I go for the ball and he jumps into my elbow.

Hopefully he didn't get injured or something because my intention was not to injure, it was the opposite. It was to protect myself and go for the ball, and unlucky he jumped into the elbow. This happens many times so hopefully he didn't feel any injury.

Listen I didn't even know he stamped on my head in that moment. I didn't even see the replay. If it was him it was him. But that isn't something I think about because all the defenders, they try to stop you and me as a striker I try to score goals.

"

Ibrahimovic could be hit with a three-match ban—the suspension he would have received had Friend seen the offence and sent him off on Saturday—which puts him at risk of missing United's upcoming fixture slate.

That run includes an FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea next Monday, not to mention the Premier League fixtures against Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion on March 19 and April 1, respectively.