On the eve of Villa's upcoming away game at Ipswich, Villa manager Emery spoke to the media and began with an update on captain McGinn's injury and expressed his views on the growth and development of youngster Duran in particular.
On McGinn's hamstring injury, Emery said, "McGinn has been out of the game for a week now, and based on the medical team's assessment, we expect him to need another two to three weeks to recover. Overall, he will be out for a total of three to four weeks. This undoubtedly has an impact on the strength of our squad, but we will try to find solutions in other players to make up for his absence."
Speaking of the team's young player Duran, Emery's tone was full of appreciation and expectation. He said: "Duran is a very good lad, he is young and talented, full of love and desire for soccer. However, sometimes he can appear to lack patience because he is in a hurry. It's great to see that he's now able to focus 100% on training and playing, and follow my ideas and plans to the letter. I have witnessed his growth and progress since we started working together two years ago."
Emery further stated, "As a manager, I have a huge responsibility to identify and develop young players. I'm convinced that Duran has great potential and I'm delighted with every effort and improvement he makes. Of course, he has his ups and downs, sometimes he performs well, sometimes he may not reach his best level. But I think this is one of his best moments, and his focus and tactical execution are exactly what I want."
For Duran's future, Emery expressed confidence and expectation. He said, "Duran trains hard every day and fights as hard as any other player. For him, the most important thing is to be able to enter the game list and show his ability and potential in the game. As to how far he can go and what height he can reach, it still needs time and the test of the game. But I believe that as long as we continue to give him trust and support, he will be able to continue to explore his potential here and make greater contributions to the team."
