The FA have issued a fresh Jhon Duran statement after the Aston Villa striker returned from a three-game ban against Everton earlier this week. Early into the 3-0 defeat against Newcastle, Duran was shown a red card for an alleged stamp on the back of Fabian Schar.

Villa appealed the sending off but the decision from Anthony Taylor stood which saw Duran miss games against Brighton, Leicester and an FA Cup victory over West Ham. Duran was back on the bench at Goodison Park but remained an unused substitute.

Having not featured against the Toffees, it is likely his first appearance, either from the start or as a substitute, since Boxing Day comes on Saturday evening as Villa face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in Premier League action.

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Well in advance of the game, there was some doubt surrounding his availability after he was charged and subsequently investigated by the FA for kicking a water bottle in the aftermath of being dismissed and now a fresh statement from the governing body of English football has revealed the outcome of that investigation.

"Jhon Duran has been fined £15,000 following the Premier League fixture between Newcastle United and Aston Villa on Thursday 26 December 2024," a statement read.

"The Aston Villa forward admitted that he acted in an improper manner in the 32nd minute of the fixture after being sent off, and the sanction was subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission."

In the written reasons section of the FA findings, it said: "The Commission discussed the incident and noted that the water bottle was kicked in frustration with some ferocity causing it to travel a significant distance.

"The Commission noted that the fact that the bottle did not strike anybody appeared to be attributable to luck rather than judgement." Though Duran has been punished for the separate incident, he will not face any further suspensions which means he will be available for selection to face Arsenal.