The Brazilian midfielder has emulated the controversial Italian, becoming the first City player to receive two red cards in the same season in five years
Fernandinho has proven himself to be Manchester City’s new Mario Balotelli by becoming the first player to pick up two Premier League red cards since the Italian did in 2011-12.
The Brazilian midfielder was red carded by referee Lee Mason following a two-footed challenge on Burnley’s Johann Berg Gudmundsson after just 32 minutes.
‘Pogba’s potential scares me’
It is actually the 31-year-old’s third sending off in his last six games for Pep Guardiola’s side, having also seen red in the Champions League.
2 – Fernandinho is the first Man City player to see two reds in a PL season since Mario Balotelli in 2011/12. Off.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 2, 2017
Fernandinho returned from suspension on Saturday in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, but will now face further time off following his latest red card.
He is likely to miss four games, including the trip to Everton and the home game against fellow Champions League hopefuls Tottenham.
The latest sending off is sure to be a blow to Guardiola, who heavily praised Fernandinho earlier in the season.
“If a team has three Fernandinhos, they would be champions,” the former Barcelona manager told reporters in October.
“We have one, but he is fast, he is intelligent, he is strong in the air, he can play several positions. When he sees the space he will run there immediately.
“When you need to make a correction, you just need one player to challenge, and he is there.”