Man United's Valencia Apologizes for Horror Tackle on Real Salt Lake's Saucedo
Manchester United's defender Antonio Valencia issued an apology yesterday for his tackle on Real Salt Lake's Sebastian Saucedo during a pre-season friendly.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the Ecuadorian was shown red during the game, after American referee Allen Chapman had instructed manager Jose Mourinho to substitute Valencia or have him sent off.
Upon Mourinho's refusal, Chapman sent Valencia for an early shower, two minutes after the offence. Valencia's tackle was said to be retribution for Saucedo's challenge on United's midfielder Juan Mata beforehand, which according to Mourinho was undertaken with an aggressive attitude.
Unlike his manager however, Valencia has accepted the blame for the incident, saying: "It was my fault. I hope that it doesn’t happen in an important competition like the Premier League or the Champions League. It was a friendly, I want to apologise to the fans and my team. I hope it will not happen in the future.
"It was my mistake. The boy was very excited and he wound me up a bit and I hope it doesn’t happen in the future."
SANDY UT- JULY 17: Sebastian Saucedo #23 of Real Salt Lake is attended to after his second half injury during the International friendly game against the Manchester United at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 17, 2017 in Sandy, Utah. Manchester United won 2-1. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
Gene Sweeney Jr./GettyImages
Mata left the Rio Tinto Stadium with a swollen ankle and is a doubt for the Manchester derby in Houston in the early hours of Friday.
During a post-match interview Mourinho confirmed he had ignored the referee's request to substitute his player and commented: "I think the delay was because the referee asked me to change the player and I didn’t because I don't agree with the card because Saucedo, I think is the name of the boy, was really aggressive in second half.
"That’s what happens. Some other actions were a bit dangerous. It’s young people with enthusiasm playing against Manchester United but it’s a friendly match and it’s a different mentality."
