Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has dealt with concerns over Ollie Watkins' injury.

Watkins has a minor injury to contend with.

December 13th 2024.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has dealt with concerns over Ollie Watkins' injury.
Aston Villa's star striker Ollie Watkins may not be available for their upcoming match against Nottingham Forest, as he continues to recover from a small injury sustained during their Champions League game against RB Leipzig. Manager Unai Emery will wait until the last minute to make a decision on Watkins' involvement, with the final training session on Friday being the determining factor.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Emery explained, "We trained yesterday but it was a recovery day and some players rested. Today we are going to train and assess the players. If Watkins trains as normal and feels good, he will be available for tomorrow's match." The 28-year-old has been in good form this season, scoring seven goals in 15 Premier League appearances. However, he has yet to find the back of the net in six Champions League outings.

Emery believes that Watkins' season has been somewhat disrupted by his involvement with the England national team during Euro 2024. "Ollie started the season with different circumstances," Emery shared. "Usually, he was doing preseason in previous years, but this time he was with the national team. While it was a great opportunity for him to grow as a player, it also meant that he wasn't in the best shape to start the campaign." Despite this, Watkins has been a key player for Villa, and Emery praised his commitment and hard work.

In the event that Watkins is unable to play on Saturday, Emery has faith in 21-year-old Jhon Duran, who has already scored 10 goals this season in all competitions. "We had Jhon Duran to help and substitute in. We have two important strikers. One with big potential and another with always consistency, even if he's not feeling 100%," Emery said. "He's being successful in everything we need in our work in each match. I can't say anything bad about him. His commitment is so, so high." Duran stepped in for Watkins in the game against Leipzig and scored a crucial goal, and he will be ready to start if needed, as he did in their last Premier League match against Southampton.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Watkins' availability, Emery remains confident in his team's ability to perform against Nottingham Forest. He will make a decision after Friday's training session, and Villa fans will be eagerly waiting to see if their star striker will be on the pitch on Saturday.

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