Jhon Duran: Europe's best sub at the start of the season

Jhon Duran is experiencing one of the best moments of his career in European football. The Colombian forward, who will turn 21 on 13 December, has emerged this season 2024/25 as a tremendously effective player, capable of constantly scoring goals despite having started just once for Aston Villa.
The Aston Villa player has now netted six goals in nine appearances, five of which have come as a substitute. He has only started in the starting XI in the 2024/25 season against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup, a game in which he also scored. The rest of his goals came in the eight games in which Unai Emery gave him a chance after not starting him.
No European player comes close to those stats, which are even better when you consider that Jhon Duran has played just 297 minutes this campaign. In other words, he has netted every 49.5 minutes, making him the best substitute in the major leagues.
After the 20-year-old's five goals in the Premier League and Champions League, Borussia Dortmund">Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens has four and Toulouse's Shavy Babicka and Hellas Verona's Daniel Mosquera have three.
Although his performance demands a greater role on the pitch, Unai Emery prefers to continue counting on this young player as a replacement for the second halves. Manchester United's visit to Villa Park presents another opportunity to continue enjoying the Colombian's effectiveness.