Idrissa Gueye issues public apology after seeing red for slapping Everton team-mate

Idrissa Gueye has issued a public apology after he was sent off against Manchester United for slapping Everton team-mate Michael Keane in an extraordinary incident.

After an altercation with the centre-back, Gueye had to be restrained by team-mates, including goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Iliman Ndiaye, as he eventually made his way down the tunnel.

Everton went on to claim a stunning victory at Old Trafford after playing for more than 80 minutes down to 10 men as David Moyes and his players held on to the advantage secured by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half strike.

Gueye later apologised for the incident in a social media post.

“I want to apologise first to my teammate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction," he wrote on Instagram.

“I also apologise to my teammates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour.

“I'll make sure it never happens again."

Moyes revealed after full-time that Gueye had already apologised to Keane privately but wondered if referee Tony Harrington acted too quickly by issuing a red card.

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"If nothing happened, I don't think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised,” said Moyes, speaking after winning his first ever away game at Old Trafford.

I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.

“But there's another side to it: I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn't do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.

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"I'm disappointed we get the sending off. But we've all been footballers, we get angry with our team-mates. He's apologised for the sending off, he's praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised for what happened."

Gueye was dismissed for violent conduct and will serve a three-match ban. However, the Senegal international will go to the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of December, so he may not play for Everton again for a couple of months.