Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has dismissed any notion of there being an issue between himself and Unai Emery after recent comments he made.
The 29-year-old has once again played a pivotal role for Villa this season, scoring 17 goals and providing 13 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions, while he became our all-time top Premier League goalscorer last weekend.
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It came after comments last month following our win over Newcastle Utd where Watkins conceded that he was left frustrated and angry after being left out of the Villa XI for big games in the league and Champions League, with Marcus Rashford displacing him in Emery’s line-up for key encounters with Paris Saint-Germain.
While he has previously clarified his point after it led to speculation that he was unhappy and subsequently exit talk began to gain traction, Watkins has dismissed the suggestion that there is an issue between himself and the Villa boss, as he noted that he simply wants to play in every game.
“It wasn’t in a disrespectful way, obviously some people can take it like that, but for me it was just I’m a footballer at the end of the day, that’s my job and if I’m not playing football then I’m not happy,” he told Sky Sports.
“It was as simple as that really and you want to be playing every game possible.
“There’s no animosity between me and the boss, I have all faith in him and what he decides.”
Ultimately, there wasn’t an issue with what he said at the time and there still isn’t one now.
As fans, we’d rather hear a player desperate to play in games and make an impact rather than be satisfied with sitting on the bench or sulking over his lack of minutes, and Watkins’ professionalism and attitude has consistently been praised by Emery since he arrived at the club.
Time will tell if his future beyond this season lies with us as the transfer rumours will no doubt build as we edge closer to the summer, but with two vital games left still against Tottenham and Manchester United, it’s hoped Watkins can fire us to consecutive wins to end the campaign and help us seal a spot in the Champions League again next year.
With Rashford unavailable, the responsibility of leading the Villa line will be on him, and he’ll no doubt relish that challenge as we’ll hopefully get a favour elsewhere and sneak into the top-five in the standings come the end of the campaign.
