Aston Villa get worst possible Ollie Watkins news during Europa League clash with RB Salzburg
Aston Villa had confirmed their place in the Europa League top eight before they even kicked off against RB Salzburg.
Villa beat Fenerbache 1-0 in Istanbul last Thursday, guaranteeing that they would advance straight through to the last 16 of the competition.
Unai Emery was clearly still eager to finish top of the Europa League table though, and fielded a strong starting lineup for the visit of Salzburg.
Ollie Watkins started up front, with new signing Tammy Abraham not available for selection, but the centre-forward had an evening to forget.
Ollie Watkins forced off for Aston Villa
Midway through the first half, Watkins went on a surging run towards goal, but pulled up and felt his hamstring.
The centre-forward was clearly in discomfort, but initially tried to run off the issue and play on.
Villa then went a goal behind in the 33rd minute, Tyrone Mings making the error and allowing Karim Konate to give Salzburg the lead.
The situation went from bad to worse moments later for Emery’s side, as Watkins signalled to the bench to say that he couldn’t continue.
Morgan Rogers came on to replace the 30-year-old, who went straight down the tunnel at Villa Park to receive treatment.
Aston Villa can’t afford Ollie Watkins injury
Emery is already down to the bare bones at Villa, with a number of key players out with long-term injuries.
Boubacar Kamara is expected to miss the rest of the season after being forced off in the FA Cup win over Tottenham earlier this month, but that was just the start for the Villans.
John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are also set for spells on the sidelines, leaving Emery’s side lacking options in midfield.
If Watkins is now out, it makes the situation even worse, especially considering Thursday evening’s clash with Salzburg had little riding on it.
Abraham completed his move to Villa on Tuesday, so there is some backup for the former Brentford man, but it would be another big blow for the Midlands outfit.
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