Aston Villa strikers Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins [Credit: Imago]

Watkins and Duran starting claim emerges ahead of Aston Villa v RB Leipzig

Senior Scouting Consultant AUTHORITY Former Senior Scout for Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Aston Villa; Scandinavian and European talent specialist who discovered Erling Haaland. FOCUS Global recruitment networks, player market valuation, and continental talent acquisition. THE AUDIT Bryan utilises Statscore’s Advanced Scouting Telemetry, including Deep-Data Metrics like Market Value Volatility, Continental Transition Adaptability, and Under-the-Radar Tactical Efficiency. He provides elite-level player profiling to reveal the technical reality behind recruitment that mainstream data ignores.

Published on:

10 Dec 2024, 10:40 am

Bryan King wants Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran to start alongside each other for Aston Villa against RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

The ex-Villa scout thinks Unai Emery should be doing what he can to form a partnership between the strikers, with Duran lauded after his goalscoring display in the 1-0 Premier League win against Southampton at Villa Park [7 December].

Duran replaced Watkins against the Saints, and Emery recently admitted that he wants to find a way to play the two players together in his Villa team [via Birmingham Live, 9 December].

And King - speaking exclusively to Villa News - thinks the 58-year-old could make a start by playing the two alongside each other in the UEFA Champions League at the Red Bull Arena on 10 December.

"The only way you'll see if it works or not is by playing them together regularly," King said.

"Duran was scoring goals off the bench at the beginning of the season, he got one from the start against Southampton.

"Watkins creates chances for other players if he isn't finishing them himself. When you have two quality players like that, I'd be looking to play them alongside one another. I'd start them against Leipzig, that is for sure."

Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins to start together for Aston Villa against RB Leipzig?

Emery is lucky to have two very good strikers at his disposal in the West Midlands. Therefore, the Villa boss would be wise to find a formula which sees both players get on the pitch at the same time.

However, considering he usually plays with one striker, this might involve the Villa boss tinkering with his system and play style, which won't be straightforward.

Emery would need to find a way of playing which still compliments both players, without compromising the rest of his team.