Aston Villa believe Jhon Duran can ‘become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months’ after rejecting interest in the forward this summer.
Duran was keen to quit Aston Villa in search of regular first-team football after struggling for minutes last season. The 20-year-old made just three league starts due to the presence of Ollie Watkins and was subject of approaches from Chelsea and West Ham, among other clubs.
Duran has started the new season in impressive form with the Colombian scoring match-winning goals from the bench against West Ham and Leicester.
Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, said the club are confident the youngster can develop into one of the world’s very best forwards.
“Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months. He is 100 per cent convinced,” said Monchi.
“So, what is the problem? We also have Ollie Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins. That is normal because every player thinks he is better than their team-mates. To manage Watkins and Duran is not easy but at the end it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.”
Villa received 40 approaches for Duran in the summer
Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, revealed the club received interest from a whopping 40 clubs for Duran in the summer window.
“In every team there are two very, very important positions. Every position is important, of course, but the keeper and the striker are two very specific positions.
“If you have a great keeper, the second keeper can be as good as he can be – but it’s difficult to change. If you have Ollie Watkins, it’s very difficult to find someone better because he is a great striker, maybe in the top two or three in the Premier League.
“Ollie is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That’s normal because he wants to play. There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran – because everyone wanted him.”
