Jhon Duran became Aston Villa’s hero on Saturday night as he netted an incredible late winner against Everton in a 3-2 victory.
Despite being 2-0 down after 30 minutes against the Toffees, Unai Emery’s side once again showed their resilience as they completed a perfect comeback at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins began the journey with a goal in either half before Duran popped up with a 30-yard screamer with 14 minutes left to go.
It has been an incredible story for the Colombian in recent months. Duran looked certain to move to West Ham in August until the saga took a dramatic turn.
Now, the striker has cemented himself as one of VIlla’s most important players, with his most recent goal setting a new record at the club.
Jhon Duran becomes the first Aston Villa player to net three winners from the bench in a Premier League season
So far this campaign, Duran has been sensational. On the opening day, the striker came off the bench to net a winner against West Ham.
This was soon followed up two weeks later with another winner against Leicester despite being a substitute.
Therefore, it perhaps came as no surprise to many of the Villa Park faithful when Duran once again popped up with another vital goal to gift the club all three points.
As a result of these performances, it now means that the 20-year-old has netted three winners from the bench in just four games.
According to The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, this is a record, with no other Villa player achieving this feat in the Premier League.
Aston Villa must start Jhon Duran
If Villa thought that they had a hard time holding onto Duran in the summer, this trend is likely to continue throughout the next 12 months.
It is clear that the striker is not only a talent, but he could easily become world-class. It is easy to forget how young Duran is, and to be showcasing this type of talent at his age is phenomenal.
Therefore, Emery must ensure that Duran’s long-term future is at Villa.
A new contract would be ideal and it could help deter any immediate interest. However, in the short term, Duran simply needs to be in the starting XI. This would keep the striker happy and ensure he doesn’t start looking for a move.
