Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has revealed that Ollie Watkins faces a late fitness test to determine if he’s available to face Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The 28-year-old came off at half-time in our midweek win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League, and the Villa boss confirmed after the game that he had picked up a small injury.
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It had been hoped that it wasn’t anything serious, which in turn might force Watkins to miss time, but it isn’t yet clear if he will be given the green light to feature this weekend as we face another difficult challenge in a hectic period in our campaign.
“We are going to train this afternoon and after the training session we are going to decide how the players are,” Emery told the media at his pre-match press conference. “We trained yesterday but it was a recovery day and some players rested as well.
“Today we are going to try to train and to know how we are after four matches in a few days. Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult match and we have to try to play with the best players we have or the best players who are, more or less, full of everything – energy, fitness, good rest.
“This afternoon is the key for how we can go tomorrow.”
Asked about Watkins’ potential availability, Emery replied: “I don’t know. We’re waiting. Yesterday he was recovering and this afternoon we are going to train and in case he is training normally, he is feeling good, he’s going to be available for tomorrow. If (he’s) not, not.”
Given Jhon Duran’s form so far this season with 10 goals in 21 appearances, the Colombian international arguably deserves more opportunities in the starting line-up, and so this could be a chance for him to come in and show his worth again after another important contribution during the week.
That said, although there are clear improvements in terms of his ability to fit into our system and style of play from a tactical perspective, Emery continues to favour Watkins due to his suitability to the crucial role in leading the line for Villa, as aside from his goal contributions, he is a vital cog for us in both phases of the game.
Nevertheless, if he isn’t fit enough or if there is a risk associated with the injury that he has picked up, it’s surely not worth trying to rush him back too soon, and potentially aggravate the problem and be absent through the Christmas period.
In turn, it arguably makes sense to start Duran either way, but time will tell if Watkins recovers, and whether or not Emery keeps his faith in him to lead the way as we look to continue our positive recent form after three consecutive wins across all competitions.
