Ollie Watkins 'treated poorly' by Aston Villa - ex-Villa scout
Ollie Watkins has been treated disrespectfully by both England and Aston Villa this year despite his superb form.
That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The striker sat on the bench for the fourth straight game as England were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Watkins scored 21 goals across all competitions this season, but was handed just six minutes against Panama across all seven of his nation's games.
The 30-year-old had struggled at the beginning of the campaign with Villa, but directly contributed to 17 goals in 17 games to end the season.
Watkins has just two years remaining on his contract and could leave Villa Park this summer for an appropriate fee.
Villa Insider: Ollie Watkins has been messed about
Watkins' track record since joining Villa in 2020 has been nothing short of remarkable.
There has not been a single Premier League season that he has not netted at least 10 goals in since, and the last four have seen him bag at least 15.
The striker has already become Villa's all-time leading goal-scorer in the Premier League, and he should be on to join the 100 club if he stays for another season.
It was not all positive this campaign, however. Watkins' early struggles saw him pulled in and out of the team as Unai Emery attempted to provoke a response.
"I think he's been treated poorly by England and by Villa at times. I really do. I mean, they were messing him about during January, February, March," King told Football Insider.
"All of a sudden, they bring him back in. And to be fair, he was one of the reasons why Villa finished in a Champions League position, because he was scoring goals. I think for the last two months of the season, he was probably the top scorer in the Premier League.
"He's a good player. I mean, he's a player that you'd want in your team, in your squad. So the times he's been left out, and especially when he was left out originally for the England team. OK, common sense prevailed and he was brought back in.
"But I think he needed a game as well in the World Cup, to be honest. Well, not a game. Certainly used more than he was."
Can Villa afford to sell Watkins?
Villa's issues with the profit and sustainability rules have already placed them in a bind this summer.
Youri Tielemans' sudden departure to Manchester United, as well Lucas Digne's exit and Amadou Onana's injury, have left transfer chiefs with much to do.
Should Watkins be sold, Villa will be forced to find a striker that can be bought without breaching the rules - a difficult task in today's market.
The 30-year-old himself will have a say in that, too, however, and should he want to leave, the Villans will be pushed into further struggle.