Did Aston Villa play former star despite ‘pain issues’ before selling him to comply with PSR?
The new manager of Fenerbahce has blamed the injury management of ‘some clubs’ for the ongoing issues suffered by a former Aston Villa player.
Villa sold Colombian international Jhon Durán to Al Nassr in January, banking a significant profit for the books with the profit and sustainability rules deadline on the horizon.
Durán was primarily an understudy to Ollie Watkins throughout his time at Villa Park but enjoyed a phenomenal run of form in the first half of the 2024/25 season, gradually becoming regarded as legitimate competition for Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer.
But the big-money sale to the Saudi Pro League brought his time at Villa to an abrupt end and he has since moved on again, joining Turkish side Fenerbahce on loan before this season. The 21-year-old missed the whole of September through injury.
Fenerbahce manager Domenico Tedesco, who replaced Jose Mourinho last month, made an intriguing claim when speaking to the media about Durán’s issues and Villa may or may not have caught a stray bullet.
“Jhon Durán is motivated to play,” said Tedesco, as reported by Sports Digitale.
“He’s had pain issues at his past clubs. Some clubs have made him play like that. Sometimes players play through pain, but there comes a point where they can’t play anymore.
“Time is needed in these situations. We’ve gathered with many experts and found the root of the problem. Duran wants to return, but it takes time. I don’t force the player. I don’t do it because of the risk and pain.”
Villa could of course be one of the clubs in question in the mind of Tedesco but it seems unlikely that Durán played through injury against his better interests given how little he actually played.
The Colombian missed nine games with a hamstring injury in the early part of 2024.
The Paradox of Duran
Durán is a one-of-a-kind player, packing enormous amounts of talent but also appearing to be especially fond of chaos and controversy. He had reportedly irked Mourinho before the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss got the boot.
He was signed by Villa in January 2023 and eventually became a powerful weapon for Unai Emery from the substitutes’ bench, where he spent most of his time as a Villa player.
His most famous contribution was the spectacular winning goal against Bayern Munich in the league phase of the Champions League last season. His goals against Liverpool at Villa Park helped to put Villa in the Champions League in the first place.
In all, Durán scored 20 goals in all for Villa and more than half of them were netted as a substitute.
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