DANNY DRINKWATER is expected to be fined two weeks’ wages after butting Aston Villa team-mate Jota in training.
And the on-loan Chelsea midfielder cannot play for more than three weeks.
Danny Drinkwater is set to be fined two weeks’ wages for butting JotaCredit: Getty
Drinkwater, 30, is not allowed to face parent club Chelsea at Villa Park on Saturday.
Then their game with Newcastle that was scheduled for Saturday 21 has been postponed as the Geordies are in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The following week is an international break for friendlies and Euro 2020 play-offs.
That means Drinkwater will not be available to play again until the visit of Midlands rivals Wolves on April 4.
Under-pressure Villa boss Dean Smith may use the break to let things cool down following Tuesday’s bust-up.
Even if the controversial Drinkwater trains today, he will not play at weekend so Smith will have time to make a decision before the remaining games which are crucial to Villa’s survival.
The former England star clashed with Spanish winger Jota during a session involving players who did not feature in Monday’s 4-0 loss at Leicester.
It understood there had been no tension between the pair before the incident.
This is the third incident Drinkwater has been caught up in in less than a year.
In May he admitted drink-driving and was banned for 20 months after ploughing his Range Rover into a wall in Cheshire.
And in September last year he was battered by six men outside a Manchester nightclub after chatting up another player’s girlfriend.
Drinkwater has failed to finish any of the four games he has played for Villa since his arrival in January.
John McGinn’s return from injury will push him further down the pecking order and Smith may decide he does not need the Leicester title winner.
This bust-up could not have come at a worse time for Smith.
The boss is on thin ice with Villa in the bottom three, two points from safety following four straight league defeats.
John Terry is now being lined up to replace him.
Chelsea outcast Danny Drinkwater filmed headbutting footballer in nightclub brawl
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
