Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon and one of Unai Emery’s brightest stars drew the highest praise.
Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League after unfortunately losing against Arsenal last weekend.
Villa’s first goal was one straight off the training ground after a well-executed Youri Tielemans free kick found Jacob Ramsey in the box. He slid the ball across to Amadou Onana who finished past Mads Hermansen.
Unai Emery’s men then doubled their lead in the second half as Jhon Duran came off the bench to score. The 20-year-old got on the end of a Lucas Digne cross to loop his header into the net.
Leicester did score 17 minutes from time through Facundo Buonanotte but the Villans weathered a late storm, while Duran was singled out for praise.
Aston Villa’s Spanish defender #14 Pau Torres (L) and Aston Villa’s Columbian striker #09 Jhon Duran (R) celebrate on the pitch after the English P…
Jhon Duran told he’s one of the ‘world’s best’ after Aston Villa beat Leicester
For the second time this season, Duran came off the bench for Ollie Watkins and made an instant impact by scoring.
Duran scored the winner against West Ham to silence a large majority at the London Stadium and then rose to the occasion at the King Power to help Villa seal three points.
In most other sides in the Premier League, he would be the starting striker but he’s unfortunate to have Watkins ahead of him, who continues to look like a shadow of his former self.
The towering Colombian has everything in his locker to become a world-class striker; he’s quick, strong, possesses great movement and is devastating in the box.
That is a sentiment echoed by The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell, describing Duran as a ‘unique’ and ‘remarkable talent’ who is among some of the ‘world’s best’ forwards.
Emery can take credit for his rapid development in the past few months and the way he’s managed the youngster, with the striker proving to be an invaluable weapon from the bench.
Duran can become a world-beating centre-forward
At the age of 20, it’s frightening the scope of development Duran has and it feels like he’s only just getting started.
Last season, he was understandably frustrated to only receive a handful of starts but now he’s making his minutes count from the bench.
And if he continues to make such a big impact, there may be a conversation to have about starting him over Watkins when the Englishman needs a rest.
The Champions League campaign could therefore play into his hands as when Villa play on a Wednesday or Thursday night, Emery could rotate in the Premier League and hand him a start.
In terms of minutes per goal scored, Duran is currently performing at a similar level to Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, which suggests he could become a world-beating talent like the Norwegian.