Danny Drinkwater is sweating on his future at Aston Villa after headbutting team-mate Jota and being ordered away from training.
The on-loan Chelsea midfielder is set to be fined two weeks wages and could be sent back to his parent club after Tuesday’s training ground incident.
Drinkwater and the rest of Villa’s stars had a day off on Wednesday and the squad return to training on Thursday ahead of Chelsea’s visit on Saturday.
But Drinkwater,30, is unlikely to be involved in training as he is ineligible to play against his parent club at the weekend.
Villa boss Dean Smith is considering his next move at the 19th-placed strugglers after sending Drinkwater home on Tuesday.
(Image: Getty Images)
Smith has huge problems as he is the bookies favourite to be next Premier League manager sacked after four straight losses, including Monday night’s 4-0 thumping at Leicester .
The next day, Drinkwater squared up to Spaniard Jota in an altercation during a session involving players who did not feature in Monday’s thrashing.
It is the latest row involving Drinkwater who joined on loan in January after only making five League starts for Chelsea after a £35million move from Leicester in 2017.
The midfielder was also loaned to Burnley earlier this season but made just one League appearance and got injured in an altercation in a nightclub.
(Image: PA)
His latest move to Villa hasn’t been much better as he has failed to finish any of his four appearances.
He has been an unused substitute in Villa’s last two Premier League games, including the heavy loss at his old club Leicester.
Defeat has piled the pressure on embattled Smith with Villa two points from safety with 10 matches remaining ahead of Chelsea’s visit.
It is a nightmare for ambitious Villa and their wealthy owners who spent £130m on 12 new players last summer.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, part of the side who also lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City , assessed: “We’re really disappointed, even more so for the fans.
“We feel what they’re going through, we feel the pain.
“I believe in the players. We just have to up our game, support each other and give 100 per cent – everyone.”
Villa have a three-week break after Saturday’s match, they are then due to face Wolves , Liverpool and Manchester United on consecutive weekends.
