Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has praised Jhon Duran for his impact so far this season, and lauded the improvement that he has made since the summer.
The 20-year-old arrived in January 2023 from Chicago Fire, but having been limited to a back-up role behind Ollie Watkins, speculation was rife during this past summer transfer window over his future as he was heavily linked with an exit.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Wolves: Two potential key decisions for Emery
Coupled with question marks being raised over his character and personality off the pitch given some of his antics, there were real doubts over whether or not he would be capable of becoming a key member of Emery’s squad, but Duran has impressively turned things around so far this season.
The Colombian international has three goals in five appearances, all of which have come off the bench, while all three goals have proven to be winning ones as he’s been consistently decisive in the latter stages of games.
That in turn has led to Emery hinting that a starting berth may not be too far away for Duran, while the Villa boss continues to work on having both him and Watkins in his starting line-up, but he concedes that it still requires work for them to build an effective attacking partnership, and to fit the overall structure of the team.
“His process is going up,” he told the media, as per VillaTV. “He arrived here two years ago and the first six months were not easy for him, but progressively he has played more. He had a difficult injury in pre-season last year and he started playing at the beginning of September or the end of August. Progressively he got better and, of course, to compete with Watkins is difficult but he had moments to play and his impact last year was sometimes like now he is doing.
“His talent is there and he is now playing more and with confidence. He is respecting his teammates. There is still work to do, but the process he is doing. He is close to being in the starting XI and he has to understand as well how he can play with Ollie Watkins, both in the starting XI, but also sometimes alone in different competitions.
“I am very happy with how he has started the season and how he started the first training session we did with him in the summer. He was very focused to stay here. He has the commitment we need from every player. It is good news to watch him playing, adding more minutes as well. Every minute he is playing with us he is helping us.
“Every player who is on the bench, the idea is to try and get better on the pitch. As a striker he is clearly helping us by scoring goals and having a very good impact.
“The idea is as well to play in the starting XI. I don’t know if he will tomorrow or on Tuesday or next weekend, but he is close and ready to play. Now, it is to manage his minutes, playing together with Watkins.
“The process he is doing, he is very motivated and excited with us. We have a very good player and his commitment is increasing, getting better. After a difficult summer, he is 100 per cent focusing here and the supporters are happy with him. Everything now is going, and hopefully for a long time, like we want.”
Beyond the impact on the pitch, the most reassuring and positive aspect of Emery’s comments above are on Duran’s mentality and approach, as it seems as though he’s gone through a real transformation over the past few weeks since returning for pre-season training.
His social media antics and comments to the media in Colombia earlier in the summer were well documented, and while Emery consistently spoke about Duran’s pressing need to adapt still last season, Villa skipper John McGinn was somewhat critical of him in a post-match interview after our draw with Liverpool in the latter stages of the campaign too.
In contrast, Duran sounds more focused, committed and determined now, and it’s hoped that not only does that last, but that he can also continue to make a decisive contribution either as a starter or off the bench throughout the season to emerge as a pivotal option for us in our bid to compete for silverware across multiple fronts.
There has never been any denying of his talent and potential, and at just 20 years of age, he has a huge future ahead of him if he works hard on fulfilling that ability. While it felt as though he’d go through that process elsewhere, Emery has never wavered in his belief and challenge to get him firing in a Villa shirt, and hopefully that decision has proven to be a vitally important one for us.
