Jhon Duran mentor says just what everybody has been thinking about move out of Aston Villa
Jhon Duran left Aston Villa for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr for the money, according to one of the striker’s first managers.
Alberto Suárez worked with Duran at Envigado FC in his native Colombia before the 21-year-old left for MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2022. A year later he was on his way to Villa, a raw talent who would score 20 goals in 70 matches before being lured away to Al-Nassr last week for a fee of around €70m.
Duran himself has dismissed the notion that leaving Villa for the Saudi Pro League was purely down to money, despite criticism over moving to the Middle East at an early stage of his career, but that claim has now been questioned by 63-year-old Suárez.
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Durán scored six goals and three assists from 13 games at Envigado under Suárez, who told journalist Mariano Olsen (via Sport Witness): “It is stupid to criticise Jhon Durán, nobody gives up €100m. I don’t think that in his first days of training at Envigado they talked to him about glory, they talked to him about money. For young people, glory is solving their economic problem.”
The comments came as Duran made his debut for Al-Nassr on Monday night playing alongside Real Madrid and Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese scored twice in a 4-0 AFC Champions League victory over Al-Wasl, but Duran had a quiet night.
With the overall fee for Duran potentially rising to nearly €85m, Villa transfer guru Monchi has said it was difficult for the club to refuse the offer from Al-Nassr, where he has signed a five-year deal. His two-year stay at Villa Park ended on January 31.
