'Very big': Liverpool's Luis Diaz says he's been blown away by one Aston Villa player, he can become 'the best'

Both Liverpool and Aston Villa have had a good season so far in the Premier League.

The Reds are flying under Arne Slot and are currently on top of the table, four points above second place despite playing a game fewer.

Villa, on the other hand, are sixth in the table, but Unai Emery’s men are just three points below fourth, where they finished last season.

Several Villa players have caught the eye this term. Liverpool star Luis Diaz has now raved about one of them.

Liverpool star Luis Diaz heaps praise on Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran

Jhon Duran has been a revelation at Aston Villa this season.

The 21-year-old moved to Villa Park from Chicago Fire in January 2023. Nobody had really heard of him then, and he didn’t get as much game time as he would’ve liked in the 2023/24 campaign either.

Duran was heavily linked with a move away from Aston Villa last summer, but Emery’s side managed to hold onto him in the end.

That has proved to be the right decision as Duran has been on fire. He has scored 12 goals in all competitions already and has kept Ollie Watkins out of the side in the last three league games.

Diaz knows Duran having played with him in the Colombia national team. The Liverpool star has raved about him now and has even backed him to become ‘the best striker’ in the world one day.

He told ESPN: “From day one that I met him, that I dealt with him and that I saw him play, I already knew the conditions and qualities he had.

“First, I said this boy, if he sets his mind to it, he can become very big, he can make history in the role he has, he can be the best striker. It’s good that he’s living a great moment, that he’s doing well, that he’s shining in a super spectacular league.

“I’m very happy for him, we shared a lot in the national team, he’s a very calm boy, he lets himself go, if he has to listen, he does it too.

“He’s in the process of continuing to learn like every boy, so he’ll continue to improve in what is left of his career and he’ll continue to score goals.”

Aston Villa’s valuation of Jhon Duran

Villa signed Duran from Chicago Fire in a deal worth just £18 million. That fee looks like an absolute bargain now.

The Colombian’s value has increased throughout his time at B6. TBR Football revealed that Aston Villa wanted in excess of £50 million for him last summer.

AS in his home country claimed in October that Villa value Duran at £75 million, but we won’t be surprised at all if that number has gone up even more over the last two months.

The 21-year-old now seems to be ahead of Watkins in the pecking order under Emery, and if he keeps playing at the same level, he could one day become Villa’s most expensive sale of all time, surpassing Jack Grealish.