Aston Villa star targets belated birthday celebrations in Premier League showdown
Villa striker Jhon Duran is putting birthday celebrations on hold as he aims to shoot down Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Colombia international turns 21 on Friday but has no time for partying as Unai Emery’s Villa look to continue their revival against their high-flying Midlands rivals.
Duran scored his 10th goal of the season with another stunning effort in Tuesday’s 3-2 win at RB Leipzig and now wants to mark his landmark anniversary in style at the City Ground.
He told Amazon Prime: "I am definitely not going out to celebrate my birthday because my aim is to score on Saturday to celebrate."
Duran is Villa’s top scorer this season but seven of his goals have come as a substitute, while last weekend’s 1-0 win over Southampton was his first Premier League start.
The former Chicago Fire star, who last season made plain his frustration at not getting enough playing time, claims to be enjoying his role in the squad.
He said: "We worked hard as a team, and that is my job to score. The main thing was the win and the three points away from home.
"I am just happy to be here and love the competition with Ollie Watkins. When it is my turn hopefully I can step up and help the team.
"We're so happy to be where we are and we are almost through so we are delighted about that."
