Since Durán joined Villa in January 2023, he has started alongside Watkins just twice.
Although Emery suggested on Monday that he is open to playing his two forwards together, it is clear that he prefers one or the other.
That type of situation could easily create friction between the two players, but Durán says he’s happy to play whatever role the team needs.
“We work hard as a team and my job is to score. The main thing was the victory and the three points away from home,” Durán told Amazon Prime after the game.
“I’m happy to be here and I really love the competition with Ollie Watkins. When it’s my turn I’ll step up and hopefully I can score and help the team.
“We are very happy to be where we are in the standings right now, but we have to win the game at home. [against Celtic] And we’re almost done, so we’re thrilled with that.”
Durán will turn 21 on Friday and knows exactly how he wants to celebrate.
“I’m definitely not going out to celebrate my birthday because my goal is to mark Saturday to celebrate,” he added.
In his postgame interview, Emery gave a little insight into why he’s still starting Watkins instead of Duran.
“Sometimes he [Duran] “He’s very passionate and we have to try to keep a balance with him,” Emery told Amazon Prime.
“He scored a great goal and he is working, we are trying to strengthen the team with a tactical approach. His potential is enormous. Tactically he is improving and today he played 45 fantastic minutes.”
