Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery suggests that there are no guarantees that Jhon Duran will be rewarded with his first start of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has admitted that Jhon Duran is “close” to making his first start of the season.
After a summer of speculation regarding his future, it came as no surprise when the forward began the opening Premier League fixture of 2024-25 against West Ham United on the substitutes’ bench.
However, as well as netting the winner in that game, Duran has since repeated the trick against Leicester City and Everton, equalling Premier League history in the process.
For a fifth game in succession, the Colombia international was only named as a replacement for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Swiss side Young Boys.
Although he had a goal disallowed, the 20-year-old again made a positive impact having replaced Ollie Watkins shortly after the hour mark.
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Could Duran start against Wolves?
On Saturday afternoon, Villa play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands derby looking to make it four victories in five top-flight fixtures this campaign.
Having selected the same starting lineup twice in the space of three days, Emery will naturally be contemplating some rotation for the showdown with one of their rivals.
Nevertheless, speaking to reporters at a press conference, Emery has hinted that it is not a foregone conclusion that Duran will finally feature from the opening whistle.
The Spaniard said, as quoted by BBC Sport: “As a striker, he is clearly helping us score goals and making a good impact but the idea is to play in the starting 11.
“I don’t know [if he will start] tomorrow or Tuesday or next weekend but he is close and ready to play and add more minutes to play with us. [He might] play with Watkins, play together, play alone.
“We have a very good player and his commitment now is getting better. I think after a difficult summer he is 100 per cent focused here. I think everything now is going like we want.”
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Is Watkins fit?
In the second half against Young Boys, Watkins was seen with ice on his ankle and Achilles, but Emery has insisted that the England international is available to start.
He added: “He is available 100% to play. He is sometimes stopping because we have to protect the players but now, he is totally 100%.”
Despite making five starts this season, Watkins has only lasted more than 65 minutes on one occasion.
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