Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa thinks one of his teammates can do two key things to reach his full potential.
Ezri Konsa has emerged as one of Aston Villa’s most important players under Unai Emery, and his improvement is clear to see.
The 26-year-old has gone from struggling under Steven Gerrard to blossoming into one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
Konsa is now one of the first names on the team sheet due to his quality as a ball playing defender but also his positional versatility, showing he’s able to play as a centre-back or right-back.
Villa’s No.4 isn’t the only player who has shown immense progression, as striker Jhon Duran has developed into one of Europe’s finest young strikers this season.
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How Jhon Duran can reach his full potential at Aston Villa
Duran – who they signed from Chicago Fire for £18 million in 2023 – must be the most unfortunate player in the Premier League, or perhaps even the world.
The 20-year-old has scored five goals in 251 minutes of action this term but is still yet to make his first start in the league as Ollie Watkins unsurprisingly remains ahead in the pecking order.
The towering Colombian did start in the win over Wycombe Wanderers – and scored – with Emery now hinting at playing Duran and Watkins together for the trip to Ipswich Town.
Duran’s talent is there for all to see, with teammate Konsa praising him in training, but the Englishman says he must do two key things to reach his potential; stay humble and grounded about his talent.
Speaking to the Sky Sports YouTube channel, Konsa said: “Yeah, very good guy. When he first came, he couldn’t speak a word of English, but now he speaks good English.
“I mean, we see his talent every day in training. We know what he has got. We know the potential he has and the talent that he is, but, you know, I said it last weekend, it’s important for him he stays humble, stays grounded. He has got good people around him, good teammates, that will help him do that.”
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Duran is developing into a complete striker
In the summer, Duran showed his immaturity as his actions off the pitch attempted to force a move to either Chelsea or West Ham.
Emery will now be extremely pleased he’s kept the Colombian on board as his mentality has completely switched and he’s now reaping the benefits.
Duran hasn’t let multiple substitute appearances affect him, as he’s scored from the bench on four occasions, including last time out against Wolves.
When he plays for Villa, he makes a huge difference with his strength, power, speed and movement in the final third; four ingredients that often make him unstoppable.
Add to that his ability to produce the spectacular, and Duran is the complete striker at just the age of 20, which is a frightening prospect for the Premier League.
