Jhon Duran deserves more Aston Villa chances next season after double v Liverpool
Unai Emery should give Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran more first-team opportunities next season after his brace against Liverpool.
Villa found themselves 3-1 down against the Reds with five minutes remaining after an own goal from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, as well as efforts from Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah.
However, Duran – who entered the fray as a 79th-minute substitute – struck twice in the final five minutes of normal time to earn Emery’s team a memorable comeback point.
And his dazzling display off the bench is proof that he deserves more chances than he has been afforded this season.
Aston Villa should keep hold of Jhon Duran
Duran, 20, has played 1,006 minutes of football across all competitions for Villa this season, but only 366 of that total has come in the Premier League [Transfermarkt].
Despite that lack of game time, the Colombian striker has netted eight goals this term, five of which were scored in the league – a remarkable Premier League strike rate of 1.21 goals per 90 [FotMob].
His hunger to score is clear, evidenced by his 4.35 shots and 1.69 shots on target he averages in the league per 90, as well as his averages of 0.48 xG and 0.57 xGOT (expected goals on target) per 90.
However, he is not just a trigger-happy poacher. The young centre-forward puts the work in off the ball, too, winning 1.21 tackles per 90 at a success rate of 83.3 per cent.
That willingness to graft out of possession, coupled with his natural finishing ability, make him an exciting prospect indeed. His rawness is evident and it is clear he is not quite ready yet to be a regular starter – but he certainly deserves a more prominent role next season. If Villa can keep hold of him, that is.
In other Aston Villa news, this defender had a “nightmare” during the first half of the draw with Liverpool.
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