Declan Rice reacts to Ollie Watkins’ Aston Villa message after latest snub vs PSG
Ollie Watkins has sent a new message to the Aston Villa supporters following Unai Emery’s decision to drop the striker once again.
Watkins was expected to lead the line for Villa against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, 15 April, with the manager raising eyebrows when Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans appeared on the teamsheet.
Since the arrival of the Man United loanee in February, the 29-year-old’s involvement in the starting lineup has diminished significantly, which has caused a stir at Villa Park.
While Rashford brought a spark to the pitch, helping the Villans to a 3-2 win over the Ligue 1 champions, it was not enough as PSG advanced to the Champions League semi-finals on a 5-4 aggregate.
Ollie Watkins exit fears sparked after another Aston Villa snub
Taking to Instagram (16 April), Watkins wrote: “A strong UCL run. The support home and away has been unmatched. Thank you. Proud of all the boys. Still so many big games to play. We go again.”
Watkins gained attention from Premier League stars, with teammate Matty Cash and Arsenal star Declan Rice liking the post after Villa were knocked out of the Champions League.
Unai Emery risks upsetting Aston Villa stars ahead of summer transfer window
Football Insider verdict
Emery already seems to have decided on bringing Rashford to Villa permanently this summer, but that could mean losing Watkins, who has taken a backseat despite all of his work for the club.
While it has not been his best campaign, the former Brentford forward still has 15 goals and 12 assists to his name across all competitions, with no other player coming close to his record at Villa Park.
| Aston Villa’s top scorers in all competitions | No. of goals |
| 1. Ollie Watkins | 15 |
| 2. Morgan Rogers | 14 |
| 3. Jhon Duran | 12 |
| 4. Marco Asensio | 8 |
| 5. Tielemans/McGinn/Ramsey/Onana/Barkley | 4 |
Considering all the competitions that Villa have been competing in his season, Emery needs to find a way to keep all of his biggest names happy if the team are to produce a similar campaign next term.
There is still a lot left to play for at Villa Park, especially with possible silverware coming from the FA Cup, and that could be vital to keeping Watkins from leaving once the summer transfer window opens.
Jhon Duran‘s departure already left many supporters disappointed, having switched to the Saudi Pro League, and Emery cannot afford for another attacking star to leave.