Aston Villa have a bright star on their hands who is being touted as a potential superstar in his homeland following his excellent start to 2023/24, according to reports.
What's the latest news involving Aston Villa?
The Villans got over the disappointment of their 3-2 defeat to Legia Warsaw in Europa League action last week by achieving a commendable 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Ollie Watkins proving to be the difference between the sides.
As per BBC Sport, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery took delight in his side being able to keep Chelsea out in SW6, stating in the aftermath of the encounter: "The clean sheet was very important because we conceded a lot of goals away. It was important to win through a clean sheet. We needed to find a way where we were stronger than we were against Newcastle and Liverpool. Today was tough but we competed very well."
Villa's official account on social media platform X have shown that new signing Nicolo Zaniolo is taking to life at Villa like a duck to water meanwhile, as their post accompanied by a video regarding the Italy international read: "Nicolo Zaniolo recorded more successful dribbles (4) than any other player during Chelsea vs Villa."
According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are considering recalling youngster Louie Barry from his loan at Stockport County in January to secure him a move to play at a higher level. 20-year-old Barry has made a magnificent start to life on loan at Stockport County, registering six goals and two assists from his opening 11 appearances for the Sky Bet League Two outfit in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Next up for Aston Villa is a home clash against Everton in the Carabao Cup third round as Unai Emery looks to bring some silverware to Villa Park this season.
How has Jhon Duran fared this campaign?
As per reports in Colombia via Sport Witness, there is 'overflowing enthusiasm' in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran's homeland that he can form an exciting partnership with Liverpool winger Luis Diaz with the Colombian national side.
Emery views Duran as someone with plenty of room for development that he can take on further at Villa Park and there is a feeling in Colombia that he can come on 'leaps and bounds' under the Spaniard's tutelage.
The 19-year-old has started the new campaign in a promising fashion, registering four goals from eight outings for Aston Villa encompassing all competitions, as per Transfermarkt. Coming of age in the English top-flight, Duran has been in a consistent vein of form and managed to rack up an average match rating so far across the Premier League season of 6.96/10, according to Sofascore.
Journalist Dean Jones has complemented Duran's start to proceedings in a recent conversation with GIVEMESPORT, stating: "I mean, it's great that he's now coming through with some goals and at £18 million, it really could end up as a bargain."
Looking ahead, Aston Villa fans will hope that Duran can continue to be a nuisance for defenders over the next few years at Villa Park and will be keen to see the striker develop further alongside Ollie Watkins.