Alan McInally says it is inevitable that Jhon Duran will attract even more interest from the Premier League's big names if he continues shooting for Aston Villa.
The Colombian striker, 21, was heavily linked with Chelsea during the summer transfer window and continues to attract the attention of Villa.
He has now scored 12 goals in 25 appearances this season after scoring against Manchester City in a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park. Morgan Rogers grabbed Villa's decisive second after saving Duran for the opening goal of the afternoon to cap a fine individual performance.
It was Duran who dominated the narrative before the match, with McInally – a Villa legend – predicting that there would be plenty more to come from the frontman under Emery – but that would in turn also lead to further transfer interest.
“He's been fantastic, Jhon Duran, he really has been,” said the Betfair ambassador. “He is still very young. It's hard to suppress that enormous energy he has and put it into areas where he's going to cause a problem, but he certainly knows where the goal is, there's no doubt about that!
“I don't care [him] Being direct or selfish is fine with me, but you have to learn when to be selfish and when to be a team player, and under Unai Emery he will do that.
“It will be interesting to see in January if there is the same interest in Jhon as there was in the summer. Hopefully he signs a new contract that will put an end to that.”
“But if he is not a starter and every time he comes on he plays such a big role for Aston Villa, then there will be [always] They are clubs that are interested in goal scorers, good strikers, and someone who can change a game for them.
“You can talk about any team in the Premier League [and] they want him badly. The good thing is that he is at Villa.”
Duran's form off the bench has put pressure on Watkins' place in the team, despite the England star being in red-hot form for Villa last year.
McInally believes they could play together, but added that Emery's current selection issue is hardly the worst in the world. He said: “It's a good problem to have. As a manager you make the big money by making the big decisions.
“He certainly played a big role, Jhon. But Ollie Watkins is a successful international footballer for England. And he's never let England down the time I've seen him play.'
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