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We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton isn’t worried about Ollie Watkins’ dip in form in front of goal but still wants Aston Villa to bring in a new centre-forward in the summer transfer window.
Watkins, 27, missed a penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool, meaning the ex-Brentford striker has now gone six Premier League games without scoring.
Before hitting this dry spell, Watkins had been on a run that saw him net 11 times in 12 top-flight appearances.
Despite his recent struggles, Hutton is still encouraged by Watkins’ overall forward play.
However, the ex-Villa right-back still wants Unai Emery to add to his striker options in the summer to offer Watkins a helping hand when it comes to finding the back of the net.
“I would say that all strikers go through this but there’s Erling Haaland at this moment in time,” Hutton told Villa News. “But it’s not a worry for me.
“Strikers go through dips in form but Watkins is still making the right runs and he’s still getting into positions. It would be more of a worry if he wasn’t doing that.
“I think they do need to bring in somebody else in the forward area for next season. That’s not a slight on Watkins – he just needs help. You can’t rely on him all the time and you might need to change it for certain games.
“I definitely don’t worry about his form. He’ll score goals no matter what. They’re always looking for him getting in behind so if he gets opportunities, he’ll take them.”
Villa sold Danny Ings to West Ham in January and signed Colombian youngster Jhon Duran from DC United while 21-year-old academy product Cameron Archer has been out on loan at Middlesbrough.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery may be forced to sell Leon Bailey after his latest poor performance.