Jhon Duran escapes ban but is hit with £15,000 fine for kicking a water bottle during FURIOUS outburst after red card

Jhon Duran has been hit with a £15,000 fine but escaped a longer ban for kicking a water bottle following his red card at Newcastle.

The Aston Villa forward was handed a three-match suspension for treading on Newcastle defender Fabian Schar on Boxing Day but risked a longer spell on the sidelines for his reaction to the red card.

The disciplinary panel considered handing out a ‘sporting sanction’ before deciding a fine would be enough, considering Duran’s good disciplinary record prior to that game.

Duran was available again for Villa’s 1-0 win at Everton on January 15 but was an unused substitute, with Ollie Watkins – his rival for the centre-forward role – scoring the only goal.

Duran will hope to regain his spot in the team for the trip to Arsenal on Saturday, while Villa also face a crucial Champions League fixture at Monaco three days later.

Duran was sent off for a stamp on Fabian Schar during Villa’s 3-0 defeat by Newcastle

Duran reacted furiously to his dismissal (pictured) and kicked a water bottle as he left the pitch

‘We can play with Watkins, with Duran, with both,’ insisted boss Unai Emery. ‘Of course, he was out for two weeks, not playing. He’s training normally and he’s in the squad. Hopefully, we can get his performances back quickly, like before he had the red card.’

Meanwhile, Villa are expected to press ahead with defensive signings after concluding talks to sell Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce for around £10m.

Villa are keen to sign Sevilla defender Loic Bade, who had a short spell at Nottingham Forest in the 2022-23 campaign, as well as Oscar Mingueza, who began his career at Barcelona but is now with Celta Vigo.