Against West Ham, Unai Emery gave 21-year-old Jhon Duran 24 minutes on the pitch, the week before 10 minutes at the match venue against Arsenal. Don’t be fooled by the crumbs of playing time on the Colombian striker. In just 1042 minutes spread over 29 games, Duran has hammered in 12 goals (7 in the Premier League, 3 in the Champions League). With the 21-year-old, the Aston Villa manager has the same luxury problem as Alex Ferguson with Solskjaer.
Earlier this year, English Goal named Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the best super reserve of all time at Manchester United. The Norwegian sat loyally on the bench and waited for the sign from Alex Ferguson. The United manager knew he had the striker who could be used at any time during the game to turn around and decide the game in United’s favor. At the same time, the dilemma was: if Solskjaer is deployed from the start, United will lose the extra gear with Solskjaer on the pitch in the closing minutes. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is now in a similar situation.
Ferguson held on to Solskjaer, the Norwegian sat loyally on the bench and used every minute he got on the pitch to become a legend. So what does Aston Villa do?
Duran has been rumoured to be on his way away in recent months, according to L’Equipe, the 21-year-old has already agreed personal terms with his new club.
It is Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club that is said to have persuaded the 21-year-old to become the next prestigious signing for the league. According to the French media, Duran has packed his bags while a transfer fee is being negotiated. Aston Villa “are ready to accept” a bid of 70 million euros+. With personal terms in place, Ronaldo’s club is expected to do whatever it takes to persuade Aston Villa.
This comes after PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all been linked with Duran for a potential transfer in the summer.
