Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran was the difference maker once again in our win over Bayern Munich, and unsurprisingly he received widespread praise from his teammates and Unai Emery.
The 20-year-old’s form has been a revelation so far this season, as it comes after a contentious summer in which he was heavily linked with an exit, and openly hinted at being open to moving on.
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Having struggled to earn opportunities last season as he was limited to a back-up role behind Ollie Watkins, Duran has seemingly embraced the challenge more effectively so far in this campaign, as the Colombian international has bagged six goals in nine appearances across all competitions thus far.
That in turn is ensuring he’s more heavily involved as he continues to push for a starting berth, and it’s clear something has clicked since the summer as aside from his goals, Duran has shown a much-improved attitude and determination on the pitch to make an important contribution as part of the team with his work ethic and fit in our structure.
Emery, Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Martinez were all asked about him in their post-match interviews, and they all sang his praises as they’ve evidently seen a major change on a day-to-day basis from him over the past month or so, as he’s become a pivotal member of the squad and is taking his game to the next level.
“We are working with him,” Emery told TNT Sports, as quoted by BBC Sport. “Most important is his attitude. He’s available to play 90, 60, 30 minutes. He’s been focusing each minute he’s playing. Today we had two very good strikers. It’s fantastic for him and the team.”
“When he came to the club I didn’t have a clue he was 20,” Rogers said of Duran. “The way he plays, he’s such a handful for defenders. When he comes on with all that energy. He knows he’ll get that chance and backs himself 100%. He’s a great lad. Every game is exactly the same. He’s the most chilled, relaxed person I’ve ever met. He’s a different animal when he’s playing.”
“He came back with a different mentality this season,” Martinez added on Duran. “He’s willing to work hard, he’s pushing Ollie all the way, they can play together he’s a super sub, the first time he touched the ball, he lobbed Neuer, one of the best goals in history.”
While it’s hoped that he can maintain his goalscoring form, it will set up a fascinating decision for Emery on when he starts and if he can integrate him into the side alongside Watkins, and who will drop out as a result.
Either way, it’s an important dynamic for us to have to make us a more dangerous attacking unit and allow for more rotation, and it’s so refreshing in itself to see Duran continue to make a positive impact as he looks as though he’s taken an important step forward in his development under Emery.
