Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Not only did Jhon Duran help Aston Villa take a huge step towards reaching the Champions League knockouts, the striker also sent a clear message to manager Unai Emery to reward him with a starting place.
Duran’s curling 25-yard strike in Villa’s 3-2 defeat of RB Leipzig on Tuesday was his 10th goal of the season, yet he has only made four starts in all competitions.
The Colombia international, 20, presented himself as a super-sub figure earlier this season, scoring from the bench in four of Villa’s five opening Premier League games.
The six goals he has scored as a substitute are more than any other player across Europe’s big five leagues in all competitions this season.
“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,” Duran told Amazon Prime after the match.
“I’m just happy to be here and I actually love the competition with Ollie Watkins. When it’s my turn I’ll step up and hopefully I can score and help the team.
“We’re so happy to be where we are in the standings right now, but we’ve got to win the game at home [against Celtic] and we’re almost through so we are delighted about that.”
Belgium
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