‘Aston Villa face Marcus Rashford snub and loss of upset Ollie Watkins’
Aston Villa have been sent a warning over their striking options for next season amid the battle for a spot in the starting XI between Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford.
Both strikers have been in fine form for Unai Emery‘s side this season, albeit the latter only joined on loan from Man United in the winter transfer window.
Even so, there was surprise that Rashford started ahead of Watkins in both legs of the Champions League quarter final with PSG.
Watkins then produced a brilliant performance for Aston Villa in their thrashing of Newcastle on Saturday (19 April), after which he suggested he was unhappy about recently being dropped from the lineup.
Even so, he was then again dropped to the bench with Rashford restored to the starting XI for his side’s trip to Man City on Tuesday night (22 April).
Aston Villa get major striker warning
Amid that policy of rotation, Gabby Agbonlahor has now warned that Aston Villa may find themselves without a first-choice striker for next season.
The former England international has suggested Watkins may look to move on in the summer over his frustrations over being dropped.
He also suggested Rashford may still look to move elsewhere rather than returning to Emery’s side on a permanent basis when his loan expires, which would then leave the club extremely short in attack.
Of course, Rashford fell out with Man United manager Ruben Amorim prior to his loan move, and Agbonlahor is also worried he could revert to the form that led to those issues, if he joins permanently.
| Marcus Rashford key stats for Aston Villa | Total (from Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 17 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
Speaking about the striker situation at Aston Villa on talkSPORT, the club’s former centre-forward said: “What we have to remember sometimes as Villa fans and fans of Watkins is that he’s at Villa, Rashford’s on loan. What if Rashford goes back in the summer and says he wants to go somewhere else.
“Then you’ve upset Watkins, he might want to go then and then you’re left with zero strikers. And we’re also forgetting that Rashford’s on loan so he’s putting a shift in and showing.
“What if you offer him a four-year deal, £300,000 a week and he goes back to what he was doing at Manchester United? Feet under the table, relaxing, not pressing, not working hard, so Villa have got to be very careful.”
Villa sold 21-year-old Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr for £71million in the January transfer window [BBC Sport].
Unai Emery has tough decision to make
Football Insider Verdict
This is a crucial period for Emery and his side in the context of their season, as they continue to battle for Champions League qualification.
Aston Villa could also end their long wait for silverware by lifting the FA Cup, with a semi final against Crystal Palace to come on Saturday (26 April).
These next few weeks will therefore determine how successful this season is for the club, and so Emery must pick the players he thinks have the best chance of delivering that.
Depending on who you ask though, there will be differing answers over whether Watkins or Rashford start at centre-forward, and there is no doubt both have plenty of merits.
In the end though, if Aston Villa do not qualify for the Champions League, it is going to be harder for them to bring Rashford back to the club, whereas Watkins would still have a contract with them.
As a result, it could be argued that they ought to be doing what they can to ensure they at least keep the latter happy.
That way they reduce the risk of losing two strikers in the summer and putting even more pressure on themselves in the transfer window.