Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran on arguing with Unai Emery, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his goalscoring heroics

“I don’t like to watch football all the time. The truth is, I get bored.”

Jhon Duran is genuine and trustworthy as he sits down to speak to Sky Sports activities forward of Aston Villa’s large Tremendous Sunday conflict with Tottenham.

However nobody has been bored watching him this season.

The tremendous sub, the scorer of sensational targets has lit up the Premier League and Champions League. There was hypothesis he is likely to be offered in the summertime. Now the dialog is whether or not he ought to dislodge Ollie Watkins as Villa’s frontline ahead.

Listening to him open up on a wide range of subjects is as intriguing as his play is thrilling.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is maybe unsurprisingly an inspiration. “I love him for his personality,” Duran says. “His self-confidence, his scoring capacity, his mood on the pitch. And he at all times stated, ‘why be like everybody in the event you could be completely different?’ So, I like the best way he approaches soccer and life, and I like that instance.

“I like to be different. I like to do what’s good for me, what makes me feel good, not what everyone wants me to do, and I think that’s how it’s going to be until the day I’m gone. This is me. I’m going to try to do everything to be happy, and I don’t care what they say outside, it’s me and my family, and here I am.”

Colombian Duran attributes his calmness and nerveless performances on the massive stage to his background. “It’s instinctive, the upbringing, where I come from. You always have to work for your food. People who don’t have anything to eat get nervous. I’m not nervous. I’m very confident in myself and I have this in me.”

Son of a miner, Duran takes delight within the truth he has been capable of purchase his mom a house. “I think it’s the most important challenge I’ve had in my life. Thank God, I fulfilled it.” However behind his laid-back manner, his ambitions burn fiercely.

It has led to some fiery conversations with boss Unai Emery.

“There are [moments of] love and hate, sometimes! But no, I feel very grateful to him, very grateful to him and his coaching staff. We’ve had many problems, but they’re normal, I think,” says Duran.

“The reality is, I am very completely happy to be right here with him, to share the area with him, to be taught from his teachings. He needs to show me on a regular basis. He is protecting, generally.

“Sometimes it happens, and there are sparks! So we’re constantly fighting! But I think it’s normal for a young man of my age, and a person like him who already knows a lot, who has already achieved so many things. And the truth is, I feel very, very grateful to be in this space, and that he’s a person as great in football as he is. To learn more from him every day, and I’m very happy with him here.

“Sure, generally we argue. As a result of he has his standpoint, I’ve mine, and I’ve by no means been the one who stays quiet. If I’ve one thing to say, irrespective of who it’s, I say it.”

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It is clear Duran feels he deserves extra taking part in time. That definitely gave the impression to be the case when he reacted angrily to being subbed off after a uncommon begin towards Bologna within the Champions League final month.

However in Ollie Watkins, he recognises he has a proficient team-mate who he’s vying with for a task within the XI.

“Yes, patience has never been my thing. I’ve never had patience, to be honest, but you have to acquire it here,” says Duran. “In fact, Ollie is a superb participant, an awesome striker. He is proven loads, he is helped us loads. Final season, the previous couple of seasons, he is been unimaginable. He is an awesome individual.

“You have to have patience, and I keep working, and when I get the chance, I’ll do what Ollie does and help the team. I’m very happy to have competition, healthy competition, with a star from England, as he is now.”

Does Duran really feel that his persistence is bettering? “Around two per cent!

“Now I wait a bit of bit. Earlier than, I might choose arguments every single day! Now I wait a day for that, so it is completely different.

“I think [Watkins] is in his moment, and you have to respect. Because he has the numbers, he’s doing the work, he has everything, he has the understanding, the experience, and I think I’m on my way to that. I’m on my way to being at the level. I keep working to improve a little more. Wanting to always be like I am now.

“And for me it’s very important, because in the future, we don’t know if what’s happening now can happen in another team, I don’t know. Nobody knows the future. But I think it’s also part of life, of work, to be mentally strong, especially. Because these are issues that, as a young player, you see the numbers he has this season, and you want to play all the time. So I think that it helps you to adjust a little for the future.”

And sooner or later, Duran believes Villa can obtain “big things”. Reflecting on how shut he was to leaving in the summertime and his position now, he says: “Yes, I think there were rumours. As a young man, the head goes to other places. But there was always total support from Unai, from [president of football operations] Monchi, and above all from Damian [Vidagany, director of football operations].

“The three of them are necessary pillars on this membership. They’ve achieved many issues in a short while, they usually have helped me loads. They had been very beneficial to me as a result of they saved me grounded, they instructed me issues as they should be stated. So I feel that helps, in a approach, the thoughts, they usually… I do not know, the beginning of the season was about my thoughts. Now it is completely different.

“With experience, we’re going to do big things, and we’re working for that. Thanks to them, we’re here, and I’m happy here.”

The subsequent chapters in Duran’s Villa profession look set to be something aside from boring.