Unai Emery will hand Jhon Duran a frontline gig at Aston Villa
Unai Emery insists Villa frontman Jhon Duran will be handed opportunities to start for the club during the upcoming games.
Duran is yet to start a game in the Premier League with all four of his league goals coming from the bench so far this term.
The 20-year-old, who was heavily linked with a move away from Villa Park in the summer, has netted six times across all competitions, including the decisive goal in the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich earlier this month.
Meanwhile, first-choice striker Ollie Watkins has scored four goals in as many league outings.
Boss Emery said: “I am thinking with his process here and how he is progressing, how important it is for him to start in these matches.
“Maybe tomorrow (vs Fulham this afternoon) or maybe in the next games we play. He’s ready and his next challenge is coming.
“Jhon Duran’s performances have been very good for us, playing minutes and getting more minutes for him. I think this month is the same.”
Villa are preparing to welcome back Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara after long-term injuries, while John McGinn, Ezri Konsa and Amadou Onana have all been declared fit for the trip to Fulham having nursed injuries during the international break.
Villa sit fifth in the Premier League after collecting 14 points from their opening seven games, and resume their Champions League campaign at home to Bologna on Wednesday following back-to-back wins over Young Boys and Bayern respectively.
And Emery believes the returning players will only make them “stronger” when competing on all fronts.
He continued: “We were competing last year with some players being injured. We are competing now with some players being injured as well.
“When we can add players like Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara, Emi Buendia, Jaden Philogene and Ross Barkley in the squad and we are training everybody to understand our style, we are stronger.
“This is the message. To keep the same level we achieved last year is the challenge we have.
“We started the season being strong in the Champions League, even better than in the Premier League. The last two matches we drew and that is my concern about how we can improve, even being in a good position.
