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Jhon Duran joins list of Aston Villa players in conflict at Villa Park as behind-the-scenes secret mooted
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton suggests an issue may have emerged behind the scenes at Aston Villa regarding Jhon Duran during the international break.
Duran, 19, was surprisingly nowhere to be seen in the Villa squad on Sunday (22 October) when Unai Emery’s men beat West Ham 4-1 at Villa Park.
Colombian website Noticias RCN reported on 23 October that as a result of being left out against the Hammers, Duran is in a “dispute” with the West Midlands club.
Duran’s Instagram account no longer includes any pictures of him in a Villa kit, nor does it make any mention of the Premier League club in his bio.
Hutton can only speculate about what may have happened with the Colombia international but he maintains the striker is one with bags of potential who needs to simply bide his time due to Ollie Watkins’ form and take any opportunities that come his way.
Speaking to Villa News, Hutton said: “There could be a lot of factors that go into the first game after an international break.
“Has he got a knock or is there something else that’s happened? Was he late back?
“There could be anything that’s kept behind closed doors or it could be simply that the manager just went with a different option.
“Until we know the facts about everything that’s gone on, it’s difficult to sit here and say, ‘this is what has happened’.
“One thing I do know is that when he has started or come off the bench, he’s looked really bright.
“He’s scored goals, he looks physically strong and he’s quick. He’s got everything you want in a striker and he’s very young so of course he’s going to be backup to Watkins.
“There will be opportunities for him so he needs to not get too disheartened by what’s going on in the background.
“If you have had a falling out, you know the potential is there but you need to work hard to get into this team.
“If you don’t do exactly what the manager wants, you don’t play.”
Duran has scored four times in 11 appearances across all competitions for Villa this season.
He’s started four games but none of them have been in the Premier League, where he’s not played in two matches now due to his omission against West Ham.
Duran isn’t the only player who is reportedly unhappy at Villa Park as Football Insider reported on 11 October that Youri Tielemans wants to leave the club after a fall-out with Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, the ball is in this player’s court after a reported behind-the-scenes bust-up with Unai Emery.