Aston Villa recorded their sixth win of the season in midweek, defeating Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 in the EFL Cup.

The match gave Unai Emery the ideal chance to give some youngsters an opportunity to showcase their ability in the starting XI. This led to the likes of Sils Swinkel and Kadan Young, who both enjoyed productive senior debuts.

The Spaniard also handed Jhon Duran his first start of the season against Wycombe, and he didn’t disappoint, getting on the scoresheet once again.

Jhon Duran’s game in numbers vs Wycombe

Having made appearances from the bench in every Premier League match of the season, scoring four times in the process, it perhaps wasn’t a surprise to see him unleashed from the first whistle in midweek.

The Colombian enjoyed another positive display, registering six total shots during the match, along with winning a penalty, missing a big chance and winning 100% of his aerial duels.

The youngster lost possession 13 times, however, and it is clear he still has plenty to learn, that’s for sure.

Goals

1

Assists

0

Total shots

6

Lost possession

13

Total duels (won)

10 (5)

Touches

47

Via Sofascore

Despite a solid performance, Emery could drop him back to the bench in order to unleash one of the best players in his squad – Ollie Watkins.

Why Ollie Watkins should be unleashed

The Spaniard is lucky enough that he can call upon strikers such as Watkins and Duran. For now, the Colombian will have to resort to gaining the majority of his game time from the bench.

This isn’t due to his ability, but rather to how good Watkins has been over the previous 12 months.

Last term, the Englishman shone under Emery, scoring 27 goals while also showcasing his selfless side, registering 13 assists in the process, emerging as one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League.

In six games this term, Watkins – who has been dubbed a “nightmare to play against” by former England colleague Conor Coady – has scored three times while chipping in with a further two assists, continuing where he left off in May.

The striker has registered a 23% goal conversion percentage this season, along with creating a big chance and averaging 0.8 key passes per game.

This has all come after a summer in which he was part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2024, scoring the winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final clash. This means he has taken a few weeks longer than usual to return to his high standards.

Goals in the last two league matches have certainly gone a long way to demonstrating that he is back to his best and unleashing him in the starting XI will give Emery the best chance to lead his team to another three points.

Duran is a wonderful option to call upon from the bench, but until Watkins suffers a dip in form, the Colombian isn’t going to have many chances to lead the line from the start.

Whoever starts against Ipswich, all Emery requires is another win.

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