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Saudi media makes their feelings clear on Jhon Duran after his Al Nassr debut

Home> Football> Saudi Pro League

Updated 09:25 6 Feb 2025 GMTPublished 11:11 4 Feb 2025 GMT

Saudi media makes their feelings clear on Jhon Duran after his Al Nassr debut

Jhon Duran made his Al Nassr debut on Monday after completing a £64.5 million switch from Aston Villa.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Media in Saudi Arabia have made their feelings clear on Jhon Duran after he made his debut for Al Nassr on Monday night.

Duran is the latest high-profile import in the Saudi Pro League, signing from Aston Villa in a £64.5 million switch.

The Colombian has taken the No.9 shirt at Al Nassr after signing a lucrative contract which will see him earn a whopping £16.7 million per year - further broken down to £46,000 per day, £1,900 per hour and £31 per minute.

Duran scored 12 goals in 29 appearances for Aston Villa prior to his move to Al Nassr and was handed a first start for his new club when they took on Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League at Al Awwal Park.

Al Nassr ran out 4-0 winners, with Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating his upcoming 40th birthday by showing he's still got it with a brace.

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Duran was not on target, with Ali Alhassan and Mohammed Al-Fatil also on on the scoresheet, but the Saudi media weighed in with their thoughts on how he fared.

Sports critic Abdul Karim Al-Jasser has some doubts over whether Duran will able to do the business for Al Nassr, where Ronaldo and Sadio Mane already play in a devastating attack.

Jhon Duran made his debut for Al Nassr on Monday. Image: Getty
Jhon Duran made his debut for Al Nassr on Monday. Image: Getty

As per Sabq: "The sports critic added that Doran is a good player in the English Premier League, but he will face difficulties in the Saudi League because he is physically an excellent player, but he will play in narrow areas that require a skilled player with strong shots and good headers.

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He stressed, "The player (21 years old) will face difficulty on the field with the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane who play in the front area alongside Otavio. Is this the player that Al-Nassr needed?"

Although it is early days, the same kind of opinion has been expressed by Arab News, who were a bit lighter yet did say though a lot of eyes were on Duran's debut, "it was Cristiano Ronaldo who once again grabbed most of the headlines in a 4-0 win over Emirati side Al-Wasl in the AFC Champions League Elite".

The former Chicago Fire man has reportedly told the club he intends on living in nearby Bahrain, though he would be facing a 600 mile round trip to training each day.

His reason for wanting to live in Bahrain and not Riyadh is said to be related to concerns about whether he and his partner are able to live with one another in Saudi due to cohabitation without marriage being discouraged.

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Al Nassr return to action on Friday against Al Fehia, with Duran hoping to open his account for his new club.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Saudi Pro League, Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

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@joshlawless_

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