Ollie Watkins update: Jhon Duran may be in line for surprise Aston Villa start in Premier League clash v Bournemouth

Jhon Duran, a forward for Aston Villa, might make his Premier League debut following Unai Emery’s update on Ollie Watkins’ injury.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, December 1, the Spaniard revealed (via journalist John Townley of The Athletic) that Watkins is presently doubtful to play against Bournemouth on

Watkins suffered a minor injury during practice on Wednesday, just before the team’s Europa Conference League group stage match against Legia Warsaw. As a result, he was unable to play in the club’s 2-1 victory over the latter on Thursday.

Speaking on Friday, Emery said: “He is going to be a doubt for Sunday, but we are adding other players like Zaniolo, Duran and Ramsey getting more minutes. He is not completely unavailable for Sunday, we are going to wait until tomorrow and it depends if we can take a risk with him. Also, what is he feeling for 90 minutes,” said Emery.

“We are going to think about only the match on Sunday. At the moment it is 50/50 for Sunday.”

Watkins has been in scintillating form this season having recorded 14 goal contributions in 13 Premier League appearances so far this

season, seven of which have been goals.

He bagged Villa’s crucial winner in their 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend – his 20th goal in 37 appearances under Emery in the league.

However, after Emery’s update on Friday, it’s not looking good concerning whether the England international would be available

come Sunday’s game at the Vitality Stadium which suggests Emery may be looking towards youngster Duran who may be in line for

a first-ever Premier League start.

The Columbian international started Thursday’s game against Legia Warsaw and could well have added two goals to his

Villa Park resume but for some crucial saves.

However, the 19-year-old did look threatening all evening and certainly ran his socks off, performing responsibilities

Watkins usually undertakes in running the channels, linking up play and also pressing from the front and his impact certainly showed.

As per SofaScore, he won five of his six total duels with a success rate of 83%, provided one key pass, won three

fouls and still had two shots on target in an encouraging first start of the season for the wonderkid.

The way Duran performs when given the opportunity, it’s so easy to forget he’s still 19 and a raw talent still needing a

lot of refining but that journey could well continue on Sunday, in a league where he’s already brought a few

shocks and stirs amongst pundits and journalists.

Due to remarks he made about the teenager earlier this year during his brief appearance in a loss to

Manchester City, Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United legend Gary Neville is rumored to be a fan of the adolescent.

Neville observed of Duran, “He’s looked lively,” on Sky Sports in February. It’s a massive strike that caught

everyone off guard! His knee control is excellent; he simply positions it for himself, swivels, and strikes it. What a strike, Ederson was hoping and looked above his head,” he continued.

If the Colombian is given another start, it won’t be shocking to see him play the same “lively” moment on the south coast.

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