While Jhon Duran has shown promising signs since joining Aston Villa, Unai Emery continues to challenge the talented youngster to raise his level.
The 19-year-old arrived from Chicago Fire in January, and although Emery had been at the helm for a couple of months by then and Alex Moreno was very much his signing, it was questionable at the time if Duran was too.
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Since then, the Villa boss has become a more central figure in the new-look management infrastructure at the club, and with new personnel around him, he’ll undoubtedly be vocal in the decision-making process in the transfer market moving forward.
Nevertheless, the sale of Danny Ings not only cleared the path for Ollie Watkins to be his starting forward, but it also gave Duran an opportunity to establish himself behind our first-choice striker. The decision to sell Cameron Archer this past summer was further evidence of the faith and trust in the Colombian international, and that was reinforced by the fact that we didn’t sign another player to bolster our attacking options.
Duran has responded with four goals in 12 appearances so far this season, and although he has had limited playing time – totalling 306 minutes of football thus far – he has shown his ability to come in and do a job if needed, while providing a different dynamic in the final third with his physical attributes.
That said, he’s been replaced at half-time in two games already this season when given a starting berth, and with just 67 minutes of Premier League football, which preceded not making the squad for our last two league outings, there are issues that need to be ironed out.
Injuries haven’t helped, as a toe issue is expected to keep him out for the second game in a row this weekend, but based on the data and statistics, it doesn’t appear as though Duran has fully convinced Emery as of yet, with the Villa boss meticulous and demanding in what he asks from his players both from a physical and tactical perspective.
It was interesting to hear Emery discuss Duran this week, as he obviously rates him as a talent, but there is evidently still a lot he needs to see from him on and off the pitch in order to have that trust to use him more often. As ever, he also put that responsibility on himself too as he set the challenge of helping his young striker get there.
“With Jhon Duran, I have my challenge as a coach with him,” Emery said, as per The Athletic. “He is young and his potential could be great, to be the level of one of the better strikers in the world in the future. But it is about trying to build and to do a process with him. He is still young and getting experience. Each training day here is important to him for when he is facing each match, to feel comfortable and face the level of the players we are facing.
“Sometimes he has had some small injuries and not been consistent in the last weeks to be available. I don’t know for this Sunday.
“I don’t know,” Emery replied, asked if Duran is frustrated by the lack of minutes, having yet to start a Premier League fixture. “Of course, Ollie Watkins is playing with big performances. I am not close to playing both together. In some moments they have but it depends on each one and the players how they are, whether they feel good and comfortable playing together.
“It is a challenge every day, in practice and when he is facing each match, how he faces each centre-back in the Premier League.”
Realistically, Watkins’ form so far this season makes it a non-starter in terms of a conversation about why Duran hasn’t started a league game yet.
Not only has the 27-year-old scored five goals and provided five assists in 10 league outings so far this season, but he is fundamental to the way we play both in and out of possession, and his partnership with Moussa Diaby is flourishing already.
That is always going to limit Duran’s ability to break into the side for league games, but he has featured in every game in other competitions since the start of the season, and he seemingly hasn’t done enough to convince Emery to give him more responsibility.
It’s hoped he eventually does as it will be beneficial for our hopes of competing for silverware this season. Emery has called for patience with Duran since he joined us, and as long as the Villa ace is buying in and giving it everything to succeed, we’ve seen how influential and impactful the Villa boss has been for others in the group since he was appointed.
