Aston Villa exit mooted for Ollie Watkins as Mohamed Salah comparison made
Ollie Watkins is looking to reinstate himself as the undisputed main man at Aston Villa, as Unai Emery regularly shuns him from the side.
It has now been nearly two months since Watkins played a full game for the Villans, who are still fighting both for the FA Cup as well as qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Emery has dovetailed between Watkins and Marcus Rashford, both England internationals, to lead his attack, with the former admitting his rage at being left out of the side for significant recent matches.
Watkins compared to Mohamed Salah as summer exit discussed
It would have been unimaginable after the conclusion of the January transfer window to consider Watkins leaving Aston Villa this summer, after they sold Jhon Duran.
Villa refused to entertain any pursuit of their re-established primary attacking option, with Arsenal notably registering an interest and launching a bid.
TV commentator Ian Darke has admitted Watkins turning 30 this year could begin to put interested clubs off and do Villa a favour in keeping him, but acknowledged the ageing process of players does not hit as hard as in years gone by due to fitness regimes.
Darke, speaking exclusively to Villa News, drew on the example of Mohamed Salah, who recently signed a new two-year contract at Liverpool despite the fact he turns 33 this summer.
“Watkins has had a lot of interest, and Aston Villa did want to keep him in January and still do,” he said.
“But Emery has been including him as a starter less often recently, and he’s attempting to prove why he deserves to be in the side. Maybe his age makes him a slightly less attractive proposition for other teams, but these days it’s a bit different. So if another club sees him to be the answer, it certainly wouldn’t put them off.
“Modern fitness and conditioning means players like Watkins will probably be able to perform at the top level for another three or four years or so. We’ve just seen Mohamed Salah at 32 getting that new Liverpool contract.”
Aston Villa could infuriate Watkins at Wembley
Aston Villa will raise eyebrows either way with their team selection when they take on Crystal Palace in their pivotal FA Cup semi-final at Wembley this Saturday (26 April).
Rashford was the star of the show in the last round against Preston North End, and Emery could be tempted to stick with the Manchester United loanee and keep Watkins on the bench.
| Aston Villa – remaining matches | Date |
| Crystal Palace (N) – FA Cup SF | 26 April |
| Fulham (H) | 3 May |
| Bournemouth (A) | 10 May |
| Potential FA Cup final* | 17 May* |
| Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 18 May |
| Manchester United (A) | 25 May |
It would be a difficult man management task for the experienced Spaniard, but whichever personnel he opts for, he will certainly have eager substitutes chomping at the bit.