Wayne Rooney spot on with Ollie Watkins verdict in poor Aston Villa draw vs Leeds United
Wayne Rooney feels as though Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is playing without much confidence at the moment.
Aston Villa were made to work extremely hard for a 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Saturday, on what was a largely frustrating afternoon at Villa Park.
Daniel Farke’s side took the lead on 31 minutes thanks to a brilliant free-kick from Anton Stach, that totally caught Emi Martinez out and sent the Whites into half-time with a deserved 1-0 lead.
However, despite Villa huffing and puffing for most of the second half, Unai Emery’s men couldn’t break down the Leeds door.
That was until Tammy Abraham kneed the ball past Karl Darlow in the Whites net with 88 minutes on the clock, after Ezri Konsa did well to head the ball back across to Abraham, who scrambled the ball over the line to snatch a late point.
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What did Wayne Rooney say about Ollie Watkins?
There were a number of players who didn’t have their best games in Villa shirts on Saturday, and one of those was Watkins.
Villa’s number 11 struggled to get involved in the game, with his 30 touches the least of any outfield player on the pitch to have played the full 90 minutes.
The 30-year-old registered three shots on the Leeds goal, only one of which was on target, and cut an all-round isolated figure at the spearpoint of Villa’s attack.
Speaking via BBC Sport‘s live commentary of the Premier League’s games on Saturday afternoon, Rooney feels as though whilst Watkins didn’t get much service against Leeds, he does appear to be running low on confidence.
“Ollie Watkins hasn’t had much to work with,” Rooney said.
“Because it’s so tight it’s been difficult for him to get into the game but he had a great chance towards the end of the half which he snatched at really.
“He looked like a man who has probably lost a little bit of confidence.”
- Read more: It’s time for Ollie Watkins to pass the torch, he might be finally finished at Aston Villa
Villa need to have a serious Watkins conversation this summer
Contracted with Villa until the summer of 2028, Watkins may be secure in his future thanks to his contract situation, but his performances this season shouldn’t have him resting easy either.
Now 30, the England international isn’t getting any younger, and with just eight Premier League goals to his name this season, this is without doubt his most disappointing campaign at Villa Park to date.
As detailed in the above graphic from Sofascore, Watkins gave the ball away nine times and registered an xG (expected goals) of 0.26, showing how little of an impact he had against Leeds.
That’s now Watkins’ fifth-straight game without a goal in all competitions, with the last time he hit the back of the net being in the 2-0 win over Newcastle on 25 January.
Therefore, with an in-from Abraham for company and winter signing Brian Madjo backed to have a big future ahead of him, the days of Watkins being the main man in B6 could be coming to an end.
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