FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Aston Villa v Bayern Munich - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - October 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
(Reuters) - If there was any doubt that Aston Villa made the right choice by keeping hold of Jhon Duran it has been blown away in a blistering start to the season with the striker grabbing another match-winning goal against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
After a promising first 18 months at Villa, Duran appeared on the verge of signing for West Ham United in July, with British media reports saying he had agreed personal terms ahead of a 35-million-pounds ($45.88 million) move.
The switch never materialised and since then, the 20-year-old Colombian has scored four league goals after coming off the bench in their first six games.
These have included winners against West Ham, Leicester City and Everton, the last of which was a spectacular long-range effort.
His strike against Bayern secured an impressive 1-0 win and was his fifth as a substitute in all competitions this season, more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues.
It was his sixth goal of the campaign, despite having played around 300 minutes in nine appearances and Villa manager Unai Emery is delighted with his progress after the forward bagged five league goals in 23 appearances last season.
"He has huge potential. But not just now, he had the same potential last year," Emery told reporters after his winner against Bayern.
"As a player, (I) try to let him play and put him on the field because his talent is there. And his capacity to help us and to improve himself, of course, playing."
With Bayern continuing to push forward in search of a winner, Emery once again summoned Duran off the bench in the 70th minute.
There was an air of anticipation at Villa Park when he came on and the towering striker duly obliged, making an impact within minutes of joining the party.
Pau Torres launched a pass in his direction after a failed Bayern set-piece and Duran showed great composure to hold off Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano and scoop the ball over keeper Manuel Neuer from range.
Emery said the lob had been pre-planned, in that Neuer's high starting position had featured in pre-match discussions, with Duran telling CBS Sports: "I never saw (Neuer off his line), I knew where the goal was and I just hit it."
Duran's form has also left Emery with a pleasing selection dilemma.
Regular starter Ollie Watkins, who netted 27 times across all competitions last season, has continued his hot streak in the current campaign with four goals and two assists in six league games, but Duran's knack for scoring key goals is tough to ignore.
($1 = 0.7629 pounds)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Toby Davis)
