Unai Emery to make Jhon Duran transfer call at Aston Villa after new Chelsea developments
Alan Hutton has told Aston Villa that they should give Jhon Duran a “little bit of leeway” following his recent social media activity.
The Colombian striker has had a reasonable first full season in the Premier League, scoring five goals in 23 Premier League appearances, including an excellent brace from the bench in the Villan’s Premier League draw with Liverpool.
However, the fanbases’ feelings towards the 20-year-old have turned slight sour in recent weeks after Duran was spotted liking several social media posts related to Chelsea, having been linked with Blues in the January transfer window [Daily Mail, 25 January].
Although Hutton admits that he can understand the fans’ frustration, he believes it would be best for all parties if the striker remained at Villa Park this summer and expects him to reach a new level under the Spaniard.
“It’s amazing how much social media can get you in trouble,” Hutton told Villa News.
“Everyone is on it and they understand who likes what. Look, I get it, you’re in the house, you see you’ve been linked to a club like Chelsea and you just happen to like it to see if you get a few comments from people saying that they want you or whatever, I don’t know.
“Me personally, I wouldn’t get involved in and it’s not really my thing. But he’s young, he’s in a foreign country and getting used to everything that’s going on so there is a little bit of leeway there.
“I like him as a player, I think he although he’s a bit rough around the edges at times you can see the ability is there. He’s a player that I think Emery can really help develop.
“With Chelsea and everything they’re going through at the moment, would that be a good move for him? I’m not so sure.
“Villa are in the Champions League so I think it is somewhere where he can work hard and show everyone what he’s capable of.”
Will Aston Villa sell Jhon Duran during the summer transfer window at Villa Park?
It is easy to forget that Duran is still only 20 years old and while footballers are often put on a pedestal, the Villa frontman has simply made a mistake that most people his age will have done at some point in their life.
While there is every chance Emery may grow tired of these antics if they continue throughout the transfer window, he is unlikely to throw away one of his most promising players over one or two liked tweets.
With speculation still surrounding Ollie Watkins, Villa cannot their only two senior strikers to depart the club, especially when it remains to be seen if they have the financial power to recruit a new number nine.
Hopefully, Emery will have a quiet word with Duran and he can start next season just how he finished this one.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery is set to sell Lucas Digne as the Villans close in on a new left-back at Villa Park
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