Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has been hit with a four-game ban following his clash with Hull City striker Craig Fagan at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Manchester United defender was handed a three-game suspension for violent conduct at an independent regulatory commission hearing at Wembley yesterday (Wednesday), and an extra game was added because Ferdinand's challenge to the FA charge was deemed to be frivolous.

It means he will miss Sunday's trip to Arsenal and United's other Premier League games against Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Everton.

It is a blow for manager Sir Alex Ferguson who only welcomed Ferdinand back from a three-game injury absence against Hull.

Video evidence picked out the England defender catching Fagan across the side of the head with a swinging arm as they tussled on the edge of the United penalty box.

By contesting the charge, Ferdinand was able to play in Wednesday night's Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Old Trafford.

United submitted a file supporting Ferdinand's case before last night's 6pm deadline, but the four-man panel still decided he was guilty and imposed the additional one-match ban because they felt there had been an 'abuse of process' . Ferdinand will be available to face Aston Villa in the Carling Cup final on February 28.