Unai Emery sent clear message by Jhon Duran after what Aston Villa star did overnight
Jhon Duran is becoming more and more difficult for Unai Emery to ignore as the Aston Villa star continues to dazzle this season.
While Ollie Watkins is the first-choice striker option at Villa Park, and rightly so based on his performances over the last four seasons, he is now facing fierce competition for his spot in the starting XI.
Duran has six goals to his name in all club competitions this season, most recently scoring a stunning winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and now has another goal to add to the tally.
Having come on at half-time during Colombia’s World Cup qualifier against Chile on late on Tuesday (15 October), the 20-year-old added a third in a 4-0 win at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez.
Despite his cameos, Duran has still yet to start a Premier League fixture this season, but Emery will struggle to leave him out as Villa travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday (19 October).
Jhon Duran to start in Aston Villa v Fulham?
Duran certainly deserves his first league start of the season, even up against an in-form Fulham side, who have lost just one of their last eight matches in all competitions.
In his 45 minutes on the pitch for Colombia, he maintained a 100 per cent shot accuracy, completed 100 per cent of his dribbles, made three recoveries and won 67 per cent of his aerial duels [FotMob].
This should come as no surprise, really. His only start of the campaign came against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup, leaving with a Man of the Match performance, as per FotMob, with another goal.
He completed 81 per cent of his passes, took six shots in total, won a penalty and 100 per cent of his tackles, as well as making two clearances and winning 100 per cent of his aerial duels.
This perfectly shows that he is not just a goalscorer but also someone who can get stuck in and help the team in other departments.
For a striker who struggles for starts at Villa Park, ranking in the top 99 percentile for non-penalty goals, the top 99 percentile for clearances and the top 95 percentile for tackles is incredibly impressive [FBref].
Emery has a very tough decision to make ahead of the Fulham clash, and Duran cannot be ignored any longer.
In other Aston Villa news, a 94-per-cent star has handed Unai Emery a welcome injury boost ahead of the Fulham clash.
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