Former Manchester United midfielder Fred has revealed that ex-Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran refused to train because he was already wealthy. The Brazilian made the claim while speaking on the Charla podcast, recalling their time together at Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Duran's 'lax' training approach
Duran, 22, joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire and scored 20 goals in 78 appearances before a big-money move to Saudi side Al-Nassr. He has since had loan spells with Fenerbahce, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Benfica.
Fred, now with Atletico Mineiro, said: “Jhon Duran didn’t really care about anything. ‘Come on Duran, let’s train, let’s run a bit over there,’ I’d say.”
“ ‘Bro, I’m already rich. I don’t need to run,’ he’d say, then he’d go to the medical department and slack off.”
Mourinho criticism and Benfica struggles
Fred added that when Duran moved to Zenit, he joked about the striker earning even more money. Duran replied, “Bro, the more the better, the more the better,” and once said, “I’ve already saved the lives of me, my family, and three generations…”
“At Fenerbahce, at least in the beginning he was showing up for training and stuff, then he completely quit,” Fred said.
Duran also drew criticism from former Manchester United and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who said after Duran missed the start of training: “That is disrespectful. There are clear rules and anyone who does not follow them must expect consequences.”
Since joining Benfica on loan, Duran has made 12 appearances in all competitions, with only two starts and two goals. His contract with Al-Nassr runs until 2030, though Benfica have an option to sign him permanently when the loan ends.
Fred left Manchester United in 2023 for Fenerbahce, where he made 129 appearances and scored 12 goals before returning to Brazil with Atletico Mineiro this year. He had spent five years at Old Trafford after joining from Shakhtar Donetsk.
