Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins was replaced on the hour mark in our 3-0 win over Young Boys and has potentially emerged as an injury concern.
The 28-year-old conceded publicly over the past week that he’s not 100 percent having struggled with a knee issue over the summer after his extended season due to international duty with England at EURO 2024.
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Having missed our entire pre-season schedule, it has been a difficult start to the campaign for Watkins, but there were positive signs this past weekend after he bagged a brace in our win over Everton.
The Villa forward was given the nod to start again in midweek by Unai Emery to suggest that his fitness issues aren’t that much of a concern that they might sideline him, but he has potentially either aggravated an existing problem or picked up a fresh issue during our win in our Champions League opener.
As seen in the image below, Watkins was seen on the bench after being withdrawn early in the second half once again, with ice wrapped around his ankle and Achilles area, and so there will hopefully be positive news from Emery when he delivers an update on the England international either immediately after the game or ahead of the weekend.
Villa host Wolves on Saturday afternoon as we look to build on an impressive start to the Premier League season, and losing Watkins for any period of time would be a major blow.
That said, it would give Jhon Duran an opportunity to start having been brilliant off the bench to start the campaign, and Emery may well be tempted to rotate and rest some key individuals, including Watkins, this weekend, to ensure that he keeps everyone healthy and at his disposal for a big year ahead.
Nevertheless, Watkins impressed in our excellent win in Bern, as he led the Villa line effectively and posed a real threat at times having also had a goal ruled out due to a handball in the lead up to his effort.
In turn, that offers confidence that his knock isn’t a major concern, but there will likely be further tests and treatment in the coming days before a decision is made on his availability for the weekend.
Barring the Everton game though, he has been withdrawn on the hour mark on our other four outings now, and so he continues to struggle to finish games as Emery clearly feels as though he still has to manage his minutes at this stage.
Ollie Watkins with ice on his ankle after being taken off for Aston Villa tonight 🤕 pic.twitter.com/XLczAOre90
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 17, 2024