Marouane Fellaini in defiant mood ahead of FA Cup final

Marouane Fellaini claims he would do exactly the same if he were to tangle with Robert Huth again and insists his reaction was "normal".

The players clashed in the 1-1 draw between Manchester United and Leicester earlier this month, when Fellaini appeared to swing an elbow towards Huth after the Foxes centre-back had pulled the Belgian's hair.

Referee Michael Oliver took no action at the time but the players were handed retrospective three-match bans by the Football Association for violent conduct.

Fellaini has rounded on critics who claim his approach is overly physical, insisting he has nothing to apologise for.

He told The Sun: "If I had to listen to all the opinions about me, my head would explode. People can think whatever they want but I know when I do good and when I make a mistake.

Fellaini and Huth come together during the league match at Old Trafford in May

"The opinions I listen to are my manager, coaches and team-mates. I am not a dirty player. I have never injured a player. Never.

"Maybe sometimes I am impulsive. It's my character. But when someone pulls your hair, it's normal to react.

"In this case, I didn't deserve this punishment. Huth grabbed my hair and gave me pain in my neck. I just reacted.

"It's normal. If someone grabs my hair next week, I'll react the same way. Come on, you would do the same. I didn't intend to elbow him and if the ref had seen what happened, it was a penalty for Manchester United.

"There are a lot of duels and challenges in the penalty box in the Premier League. But this time, I didn't deserve punishment. I'm sad because three matches is a lot.

"The manager, the players, the staff, everyone at the club knows my reaction was normal. That's why they weren't angry with me."

Fellaini (centre) scores the first goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton

Fellaini is hoping to get the chance to make his mark in Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace and make up for a frustrating season.

He said: "I was banned at the start of the season so the manager picked a team that started to win games and it was difficult to get back in. I would have liked to have played at West Ham last week, in a big atmosphere and such a physical game.

"If we'd won that, we could have finished above Manchester City in fourth place. In the future we have to be more consistent if we want to do something in the league.

"It is frustrating. All the players want to play in the biggest competition. We don't want to be sat at home watching other clubs in the Champions League.

"For a long time United didn't get to the FA Cup final but this year we deserve to be there. Now we have to finish the job."