Emery has ‘absolute ready-made replacement’ for Aston Villa superstar

According to Ian Darke, Aston Villa are effectively managing their forward department, with opportunities for Ollie

Watkins and Jhon Duran.

Watkins was rotated on Tuesday night [22 October], as Unai Emery’s side defeated Bologna 2-0 at Villa Park, with

Duran starting and scoring.

The young Colombian was subsequently replaced by the Englishman midway through the second half, a departure

from Emery’s normal strategy in the Premier League.

“I know everyone wants to see Duran and Watkins play together more often, but Unai Emery should keep it as it is in

the league,” TNT Sports’ Darke exclusively told Villa News. “Duran has scored all of his league goals as a

replacement, so it’s effective. Emery made a hard decision with Duran as an impact sub.”But the good way of looking

at it is if anything happened to Watkins or they needed to manage his minutes, they’ve got an absolute ready-made

replacement.” Aston Villa are sticking with Emery’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation rather than forcing in-form players

into the starting lineup. Watkins has five goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Duran has

eight, but the England international’s overall effect on the team makes Villa an important outlet for Emery. The two

will compete for a place in the starting lineup against Bournemouth on Saturday 26 October. In other Aston Villa

news, one Villan had a night to forget on Tuesday.

JUST IN: Emery has ‘absolute ready-made replacement’ for Aston Villa superstar