The 2023/24 season was one to celebrate for Aston Villa however, Unai Emery may now find himself losing grip of one promising talent.
Aston Villa secured a Champions League finish after finishing fourth in the Premier League table in 2023/24, making next season one to relish for the Midlands club.
Unai Emery has received high praise for his work at Villa, praise echoed by the club who offered the Spaniard a five-year contract extension earlier this week.
The journey has already presented a list of highs yet it has only just begun however, the manager could already be running out of time to ensure one of his top talents will be there for the ride.
Unai Emery must find a way to utilise Jhon Duran at Aston Villa
As the summer break begins, Villa will be eager to retain the majority of the squad that achieved Champions League qualification, including Jhon Duran, who has been speculated to possibly leave the club amid interest.
It would be a great shame for the Villans to lose the Colombian, who at just 20 years old, has shown a staggering level of talent in the few opportunities he has had to impress.
Signed in January 2023 from MLS side Chicago Fire for £18m, Duran played a big part in Villa’s progress in 2023/24 although, the striker would have certainly wanted to secure more game time.
In the Premier League season, the ‘special’ forward, as he was lauded by Emery, recorded only three starts from a total of 23 appearances, averaging just 22 minutes per game, via Sofascore.
While it’s an incredibly difficult task for a player as early into his career as Duran to usurp Ollie Watkins, Emery must find a solution to handing the Colombia international greater chances, particularly with his future in jeopardy.
Currently, the 20-year-old can be considered a useful player for the manager to have in his arsenal although, development could see the youngster become far more than Watkins’ number two.
Aston Villa must not regret their time with Jhon Duran
Watkins is undoubtedly in his prime, and after promising Villa fans that next season will be even better, the Englishman is poised to raise the bar even further.
While Watkins’ form has been critical to Villa’s success, it has of course been detrimental to Duran, who is only utilised by Emery as an alternative to Villa’s prized goalscorer.
If the Colombian is at the club next term, the Spaniard must look to find another way to integrate the rising star, who has shown glimpses of just how high his ceiling can be when more experience is tied down.
In the 2023/24 campaign, Emery only started Duran and Watkins together twice in the Premier League, one of the times being on the final day of the season during Villa’s 5-0 demolition to Crystal Palace.
The other occasion was against West Ham, where the boss hooked Duran at half-time, as the formation didn’t seem to work at first glance.
Despite commonly playing a player just off Watkins, Emery rarely sees the benefit of handing Duran a trial at such role although now, the boss could be running out of time to display his trust in the 20-year-old.
There is a fear that if the £18m capture is to depart in the summer, Villa will feel a sense of what could have been, not just through what he can offer as a player, but what he could offer in the future in terms of a hefty price tag.
Hope remains that Duran will be a Villa player at the start of the 2024/25 season, with him showing shades of the top-class player he could be for the Premier League side.
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