Former Defender Curtis Davies Suggests Jhon Duran Deserves Aston Villa Start

Former defender Curtis Davies has stated that Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has done “everything he can” to secure a starting position ahead of Ollie Watkins. Duran once again showcased his scoring ability from the bench on Tuesday night, scoring his 10th goal of the season as Villa’s second against RB Leipzig. This marked the 21-year-old’s third goal in the Champions League, while regular starting forward Ollie Watkins has not yet scored in the competition. Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Davies commented, “Ollie Watkins is a brilliant footballer and has done brilliantly – but Villa are now a Champions League football club, a team that want to be near the top of the league.” He added, “There needs to be competition for places.” Davies explained that if Watkins is the “automatic number one,” it poses a problem for Duran, who “was on the verge of leaving in the summer – albeit a certain club didn’t want to pay the right amount of money for him – and he stayed.” Davies continued, stating that Duran “He’s pulled up trees to do everything he can to show how good he is. So, there comes a time when he needs to get the nod.” He acknowledged, “I know he’s young, I know he’s developing, and I understand that Watkins is so important for the team, especially in the way they do things defensively as well as the attacking side. But I’d say Jhon Duran is more than due a start. Even if, for the moment with the injuries that Villa have got, Ollie Watkins moves to the wing – that could be an option to maybe keep both happy.”