Jhon Durán has signed a new six-year contract with Aston Villa as a reward for his good start to the season, after the club rejected 40 offers for the star during the summer.
The striker has been electric coming off the Villans bench this campaign, scoring six goals in all competitions and Unai Emery’s side enjoyed great success on all fronts.
He also hasn’t scored tap-ins. Durán has become famous for his audacious shots and his outrageous shots from distance.
The Colombian beat Manuel Neuer from distance to give Villa a famous 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
By making the super sub role his own, Durán has given his manager a headache, as the 20-year-old overtook England star Ollie Watkins, who remains the West Midlands team’s starting number 9, and has been rewarded for his work.
Jhon Durán (centre) has signed a new six-year contract with Aston Villa as a reward for his good start to the season.
The striker has been electric off the bench for Aston Villa this season, scoring six goals in all competitions.
With Manuel Neuer out of line, Durán perfectly executed his shot against Bayern Munich
He showed great awareness against West Ham: he was deliberately offside at the start of the play, but slowed down to let defenders through.
Either way, he will take to the field after the international break with a spectacular new contract under his belt as he looks to capitalize on his excellent form.
In his first full season at the club last year, Durán scored eight goals in 37 appearances after joining from MLS side Chicago Fire, although the majority of his performances came off the bench.
It didn’t take long for the Colombian to make his mark on this campaign, scoring the winning goal in the opening match against West Ham just 17 minutes after his arrival.
After coming in from an offside position, he produced a good first-time finish following Ian Maatsen’s low cross.
A fortnight later, Durán made an even quicker impact, scoring with his first touch against Leicester on 31 August. When a cross from Lucas Digne came in, he gave his marker a push to gain some space and bury the header.
Following the international break, the supreme talent struck with one of his now trademark long-range shots to complete an impressive comeback against Everton.
Another perfectly timed run against Wolves showed he has the instincts of a classic centre-forward and earned him a clean goal to secure another come-from-behind win.
If we add to that a penalty converted in an unusual start in the Carabao Cup against Wycombe, Durán arrived at Villa’s big date with Bayern in prodigious form.
By making the role of super substitute his own, Durán has given his manager a headache.
He will take to the field after the international break with a spectacular new contract under his belt as he looks to capitalize on his excellent form.
The Colombian has shown fantastic power with his long-range shots, but the goal against Everton was the best example so far.
A young striker could easily be too interested in counter-attacking and stray a meter or two offside, but Duran slowed his run against Wolves.
And he proved to be the match-winner in the team’s biggest European clash in four decades when he broke the lines to find some space and pass the ball to Neuer.
Pau Torres passed him the ball and, although Upamecano followed him, Durán saw that Neuer had ventured outside his goal.
Durán turned and struck the ball with his left foot in a single movement, lifting it brilliantly over Neuer and into the net to spark enthusiastic celebration from thousands of fans.
