Duran ‘more than due a start’

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has done “everything he can” to try and get a starting spot ahead of Ollie Watkins, says former defender Curtis Davies.

Duran once again demonstrated his scoring prowess from the bench on Tuesday night when he scored his 10th goal of the season with Villa’s second against RB Leipzig.

It was the third time the 21-year-old has found the net in the Champions League, while regular starting forward Ollie Watkins has yet to get off the mark.

“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,” David told BBC Radio WM. “There needs to be competition for places.

“Now, if Watkins is the automatic number one, then that causes a problem for Duran, because he 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.

“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.

“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.”

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights