'We have to stop' - Unai Emery sends new warning to Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran

Working with Duran is proving quite the tricky task for Emery but the pair are flourishing together at Villa, albeit in an unconventional sense.

With arguments aplenty, Duran and Emery are rarely on the same wavelength when it comes to game time - and their personalities are effectively polar opposites - but they are united by one thing, a pure determination to win.

Still just 20 years of age and with a passionate persona, Duran is a loose cannon to say the least. Emery is proud of Duran’s performances but he’s got quite the job to keep the striker calm, especially when the minutes on offer at Villa Park are so reduced.

Duran, who has scored nine goals across all competitions so far this season, believes he’s better than Villa top scorer Ollie Watkins. With such a mentality, the Colombian’s frustrations are understandable but Emery is sticking to his guns to bring the gradual best out of him.

"We have to try and stop his impatient moments sometimes, that’s something natural because he’s young and he wants everything quick,” Emery admitted during Saturday’s post-match press conference.

“The process he has, more or less we are doing. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. But today he played scoring a goal, the most important thing was how he worked during the 60 minutes he played,” Emery said.

The 1-0 win over Southampton was Duran’s first Premier League start this season, with the rest of his league game time coming off the bench. It’s been a similar experience in the Champions League too as Watkins has been the preferred option to lead the line. Nonetheless, Duran has managed to average a goal every 82.7 minutes.