Aston Villa: Jhon Duran scores stunner to send clear message to Unai Emery

Since Duran joined Villa in January 2023, he has started alongside Watkins just twice.

Though Emery suggested on Monday that he is open to playing both of his strikers together, it’s clear his preference is one or the other.

That kind of situation could easily create friction between the two players, but Duran says he is happy to play whatever role the team needs him to.

“We worked hard as a team, and that is my job to score. The main thing was the win and the three points away from home,” Duran told Amazon Prime after the match.

“I’m just happy to be here and I actually love the competition with Ollie Watkins. When it’s my turn I’ll step up and hopefully I can score and help the team.

“We’re so happy to be where we are in the standings right now, but we’ve got to win the game at home [against Celtic] and we’re almost through so we are delighted about that.”

Duran turns 21 on Friday, and he knows exactly how he wants to celebrate.

“I am definitely not going out to celebrate my birthday because my aim is to score on Saturday to celebrate,” he added.

In his post-match interview, Emery gave a small insight into why he keeps starting Watkins over Duran.

“Sometimes he [Duran] is very impassioned and we have to try and keep balanced with him,” Emery told Amazon Prime.

“He scored a great goal and he works, we are trying to get the team strong with a tactical approach. His potential is massive. Tactically he is improving and today he played a fantastic 45 minutes.”