Aston Villa manager Unai Emery handed 20-year-old striker Jhon Duran his first Premier League start on Sunday, with plenty having an opinion on the Colombian’s stance in the squad.
Aston Villa walked away from East London with a hard-fought point on Sunday afternoon, drawing 1-1 with West Ham United on a day that saw VAR take centre stage.
Two disallowed goals, a controversially dismissed penalty claim and two goals from unlikely sources saw the two claret and blue sides unable to be separated after 90 minutes of action.
Hammers striker Michail Antonio netted only his third goal of the season while the scorer of Villa’s equaliser was Nicolo Zaniolo, who scored his second of the campaign to earn his side a point.
There were plenty of talking points to take from the contest besides the impact that VAR had on proceedings, with Jhon Duran’s first Premier League start gathering a lot of attention.
What Jhon Duran needs from Unai Emery to progress at Aston Villa
In January 2023, Villa signed Duran from MLS outfit Chicago Fire with the knowledge that they were sealing a deal for an exciting rising talent who was capable of scoring goals.
It’s not been the easiest time in the Midlands for the now 20-year-old, who was only just handed his first Premier League start, leading the line alongside Ollie Watkins against West Ham.
While the Colombian’s full debut lasted just 45 minutes, it was a step in the right direction for the forward who has seen his mentality questioned since his move to England largely based on his social media activity.
Duran has been noticed to cryptically delete photos of him associated with Villa to fuel a narrative to question his happiness at the club, with journalist Jacob Tanswell now identifying what he believes the youngster needs to kick on in the Midlands.
In a column for The Athletic in reaction to Villa’s draw with West Ham, Tanswell shared his belief that the forward needs to ‘feel valued’ to discover his best form.
“Even though the cliche is overused, the idea that Duran needs to feel valued and loved rings true.”
“When he is smiling and at full tilt, Duran has carved himself a niche as Villa’s erratic entertainer.”
West Ham game was an eye-opener for Aston Villa and Jhon Duran
While it may not have been Duran’s best game against the Hammers, the Colombian certainly earned his start following his performance in the Europa Conference League second leg against Ajax, as echoed by Tanswell.
“Duran’s inclusion against West Ham United was a result of his performance against Ajax and a sudden shift in momentum.”
“It was his first Premier League start, 13 months after joining, and was as much to do with tactics as it was with Unai Emery playing to his ego, knowing a happy Duran is a dangerous Duran.”
The 20-year-old seemed to understand the opportunity that he had been given to play a part against the Eredivisie side, scoring a goal and firing three shots on target during his 57-minute cameo, via Sofascore.
Receiving his reward for the display to start against West Ham not only presented the starlet with the opportunity to really impress the manager but handed Unai Emery the keys to bolster Duran’s focus.
As mentioned by Tanswell, if Duran is happy and confident, Villa will move closer to getting the best out of their striker, a factor that the boss has strengthened by handing him his full league debut.
The post Emery told to keep doing one thing to make 'erratic' Aston Villa ace become 'dangerous' - journalist appeared first on Aston Villa News.