Aston Villa reportedly had two concerns about Jhon Duran back in the summer, with details emerging following his sensational goal against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
The striker came off the bench to score the only goal of the game at Villa Park, with Unai Emery’s side consequently winning their second Champions League clash in a row.
Duran has had to be patient during his time in the Midlands, having arrived from Chicago Fire back in January 2023.
With six goals from nine matches this season, however, the 20-year-old is now coming good.
Aston Villa reportedly had two concerns about Jhon Duran back in the summer, with details emerging following his sensational goal against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night
PA
Villa will be delighted with Duran’s performances. Though not always a regular starter, the Colombia international has delivered this term – with five of his six goals coming off the bench.
Yet they haven’t always been so pleased with their striker.
According to the Daily Mail, Emery and his coaching staff had become ‘fed up’ of his ‘erratic’ performances in training back in the summer.
They were also worried about his ‘inconsistent behaviour’, with John McGinn previously admitting his team-mate can be ‘nuts at times’.
Villa actually spent much of the summer trying to get Duran off their books.
Chelsea were linked, though the Blues would end up recruiting Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid instead.
West Ham offered a fee of £32million but, in the end, opted against increasing their offer.
And Villa, as far back as January, had offered Duran to clubs in Serie A – with none eventually choosing to pursue the youngster.
Fast-forward to now, however, and Duran seems to be a player worth his weight in gold.
Villa’s recruitment team always knew he could come good. With the striker shining regularly, and finally achieving consistency, their faith in him has been vindicated.
Emery, speaking after the game, waxed lyrical over the Colombian.
He said he was pleased with Duran’s attitude, while hailing his stunning goal that settled the tie.
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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was delighted with Jhon Duran following his side’s epic Champions League win over Bayern Munich
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“We are working with him but the most important thing is his attitude and his commitment now with us,” he said.
“Really he changed a lot his mind and he’s available to play 90 minutes, play 60 minutes, play 30 minutes and he’s been focussing each minute he is playing.
“Of course we have two very good strikers and the work they did today, Watkins before against the centre-backs, especially with [Dayot] Upamecano, was really a tough, tough match, a lot of duels he had.
“The last 20 minutes was a very good moment, we tried to do something more, adding this work with Jhon Duran and, of course, for him to score the goal he scored was really fantastic for him, for the team, for everybody.”
Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran now has six goals this season following his heroics in his side’s Champions League win over Bayern Munich
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Duran will be hoping to start when Villa lock horns with Manchester United on Sunday (2pm).
They’ll be hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened last season, with the Red Devils winning 2-1 at Villa Park following goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay.