Nuno Espírito Santo has expressed his frustration over Morgan Gibbs-White’s additional one-match suspension following his sending-off against Brighton last month.

The Nottingham Forest captain was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card at the Amex Stadium, and both he and Espírito Santo have now faced further sanctions.

The Reds’ manager has been fined £55,000 and handed a three-match touchline ban after admitting a charge of improper conduct during the incident that followed Gibbs-White’s dismissal. Meanwhile, the player has been issued a one-match suspension and a £20,000 fine.

Espírito Santo revealed his surprise at the severity of his own punishment, telling Sky Sports: "I was surprised; it’s a significant sanction. But there’s nothing we can do now – the sanction has been imposed. It’s not my place to judge it. My role is to move forward and ensure that the coaching staff are fully prepared to assist the team. That is what matters most. We had a hearing, everything proceeded as expected, and the sanction was determined. Now, we move on."

When asked whether he was frustrated about Gibbs-White’s additional punishment, he replied: "Of course. It’s never pleasant when a player is unavailable. In this case, Morgan has received a ban. He’s also not in the best condition at the moment as he’s still recovering from injury, but hopefully, he’ll be ready for the next match against Leicester City."