Senior Aston Villa players have been called out by Neil Moxley and told they need to talk to Jhon Duran and help him amidst some controversy in recent months.
In January 2023, Jhon Duran joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in a deal worth over £17 million.
Under the tutelage of Unai Emery, the Colombian has improved vastly despite a general lack of minutes.
Starting minutes have been hard to come by such has been the form of Ollie Watkins in the Premier League.
This has seen some reports of discontent from the young forward and rumours of a potential January loan move.
What has Neil Moxley said about Jhon Duran?
Given the meteoric rise that the Villans have gone on in the past year, Emery has opted for a settled starting XI.
This has made it difficult, even with star signings like Youri Tielemans struggling to secure a start in the Premier League.
Speaking about Duran to Give Me Sport, Neil Moxley has suggested other players in the Villa squad have a responsibility.
On that point, he said: “It might be just worth a senior player sort of taking Jhon Duran to one side. Sort of saying, you’ve got a wonderful opportunity here, you’re working for a top manager at a top football club.”
With stars like John McGinn, Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Martinez having top leadership skills it could be worth a go. There is no doubt as to how much potential he has and he needs an arm around his shoulder.
There have been reports of issues with the Villa manager with him being left out of various matchday squads recently.
On that point, Moxley said: “Now, the closest Emery’s come to criticising any of his players came a couple of weeks ago. He called Duran a ‘challenge’ for any manager.
“If you look at Duran’s past, it’s a little bit chequered. He had a little bit of an issue with Chicago Fire. But clearly, the guy’s got something.”
There have been no confirmed reports from Emery himself that this has been the case. Foot injuries have been suggested by the gaffer.
With his goals against Everton, Legia and Crystal Palace, it felt like the Colombian had finally arrived. He just hasn’t built on that top-class start.
Fans will be hopeful that Duran can return to the team. They will want him to recapture the form he had at the beginning of the season.
