When Jhon Duran netted from the bench in Aston Villa’s curtain raiser against West Ham in August, few could have foreseen what would happen next.
Duran was close to joining West Ham in the summer but Unai Emery convinced the 20-year-old to stay and it’s a decision that is paying dividends.
The Villa marksman has since fired five match-winning goals this season, including the victory clincher against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, with Duran signing a new long-term contract at Aston Villa till 2030.
Despite coming off the bench in each of his seven Premier League appearances, the Colombian has still plundered six goals, bettering the total of Ollie Watkins, who has started every game in the league.
- READ MORE: What Colombian media said about Aston Villa star Jhon Duran after his performance vs Chile
Jhon Duran is making Premier League history at Aston Villa
Duran has scored an impressive six goals in 10 appearances in all competitions, striking at a rate of one goal every 52 minutes and relishing every moment he spends on the pitch.
It’s a level of efficiency that no other forward on the planet can replicate, not even Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane or Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
Perhaps more impressively, Duran’s metric of 1.9 goals per 90 in the Premier League is the best rate of scoring the competition has ever seen, bettering Michy Batsuayi at Chelsea (1.8 – 2016/17), Takumi Minamino at Liverpool (1.5 – 2021/22) and Haaland (1.4 – 2024/25).
Duran is even beating arguably the greatest super sub to grace the competition, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who fired at a rate of 1.3 goals per 90 in Man United’s treble-winning 1998/99 campaign.
The powerful Colombian is reaching levels at the age of 20 that not even the great Cristiano Ronaldo could eclipse, who didn’t hit double figures for goals at United till he was 22 – 17 in the 2006/07 campaign.
How Duran’s stats rank vs Europe’s best
Duran brings more than just clinical finishing to the pitch; he’s strong, powerful, quick and has the footballing brain to place himself in dangerous positions.
As highlighted by FBref, he ranks in the top 8% of strikers across Europe for shots per 90 and unsurprisingly, the top 1% for non-penalty goals.
The precocious Villa talent has also shown he’s the first line of defence with his incredible pressing ability, placing in the top 5% for tackles, the top 12% for aerials won and the top 1% for clearances.
| Jhon Duran’s per 90 stats in the past year | Figure |
| Non-penalty goals | 1.12 |
| Shots | 4.05 |
| Touches (att. pen) | 5.86 |
| Tackles | 1.26 |
| Aerials won | 4.05 |
| Shot-creating actions | 1.95 |
Duran is developing into a complete forward and under the guidance of Emery, one of the world’s best managers, it’s scary to think how good he could become.
