Duranpong will not give up until Emery gives him a starting role. pgzen

pgzen Aston Villa striker Jon Duran says he loves the challenge of competing for a regular place and will use his talents to win over head coach Unai Emery, as he showed in his 3-2 Champions League win over Leipzig yesterday. pgzen

Duran has scored twice in consecutive games after netting a crucial goal at the weekend as Villa beat Southampton 1-0, coming on as a second-half substitute for the injured Ollie Watkins and taking just six minutes to get on the scoresheet. 

The 21-year-old’s growing confidence on Friday has him ready to polish his game to claim his first-choice striker spot. 

“We worked hard as a team and it was my job to finish,” he said after the game at the Red Bull Arena, via Amazon Prime.

“The main goal is to win the game and get three points as an away team.”

“I’m just happy to be here. I love competing with Ollie Watkins because whenever it’s my turn, I’ll improve. Hopefully I can keep scoring goals and helping the team like this.” 

“We are happy with where we are now, but the next game as a home team we have to win against Celtic FC – we are close to qualifying for the play-offs, so everyone is happy about that.”

“The celebration of the 21st anniversary (December 13) will not be done yet because I know that I will score on Saturday. When that time comes, we will celebrate.” 

If Duran finds the back of the net against Forest this Saturday ( Dec 14 ) , it will be his 11th of the season, four more than top -flight striker Watkins . ( pgzen )