Aston Villa: Unai Emery decision made on exit-linked Jhon Duran after what happened this week
Bryan King believes Jhon Duran will still be sold by Aston Villa despite getting himself on the scoresheet against Manchester City.
The ex-Villa scout believes it is too little too late for Duran in the West Midlands despite his contribution against the Premier League champions in Ollie Watkins’ absence.
Villa’s top scorer was unavailable as they fell to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on Wednesday (3 April), with Duran taking his place and scoring.
And despite making an impact, the 20-year-old was dropped straight back to the bench by Emery for Villa’s 3-3 home draw with Brentford on Saturday (6 April).
Duran has been linked with a move away from Villa Park [Daily Mail] and King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – believes that Unai Emery’s mind is made up.
King said: “I don’t think one game will have changed Emery’s mind. If he wants Duran out of the club, that will happen.
“For the player, I think it is just about putting himself in the shop window, it sounds like that is all he can do. If he continues to do that, then Villa could perhaps fetch a decent fee for him.
“The only way he can influence the decision of clubs looking at him is by playing and scoring, and there are few better teams to score against than Manchester City.”
Will Unai Emery sanction the sale of Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran this summer?
Duran showed some quality against City, but it appears that Emery has no interest in utilising the striker.
Since joining the club last summer, the Colombia international has made just two Premier League starts and 18 overall appearances in the competition.
Watkins’ incredible for hasn’t helped his case, but it appears Emery doesn’t even have any interest in perhaps starting the two strikers alongside each other.
If that isn’t going to change, a move away would probably be best for Duran.
Therefore while his goal against City might not have helped his Villa prospects, it certainly won’t have harmed his chances of earning a move elsewhere in the Premier League.
In other Aston Villa news, King believes one player’s time at the club is finished after what happened this week.
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