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A significant Aston Villa injury update before the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Preston North End.
Aston Villa could welcome back star striker Ollie Watkins for the trip to Preston North End in the FA Cup this weekend.
Into the last eight of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition, the Villans will want to field as strong of a lineup as possible and Watkins would no doubt be included in that.
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But an injury suffered before the international break prompted concern at Bodymoor Heath, so much so that Watkins didn’t take part in Villa’s warm-weather training camp out in Dubai, nor did he play in the 3-1 friendly victory over Al Ain.
The injury was sustained against Club Brugge as Watkins managed just 45 minutes of the 3-0 victory at Villa Park, going down for treatment at the end of the first half and then not re-emerging after the interval. The striker had landed awkwardly on his ankle and looked in some pain.
Unai Emery was hopeful after the game that the injury wasn’t serious. “Ollie Watkins, he told us to change him because he was not feeling good,” Emery admitted. “I don’t know exactly what his injury is, I think it is small.”
However, as Watkins didn’t partake in training in Dubai, concerns were growing as the days went on. This was exaggerated by the fact there were no press conferences held throughout this time, leaving everybody in limbo.
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Ollie Watkins spotted in Aston Villa training
Finally, just three days before the clash with Preston, an update emerged as Villa posted photos on social media of Watkins in training. Phew.
It’s difficult to tell from still images just what condition a player is in but Watkins, taking on a strike of the ball, looks in decent shape. A teammate being in the background - perhaps Boubacar Kamara - suggests the photos were taken in full training, too, which is a real positive.
It awaits to be seen if Watkins will be fit enough to start against Preston but Emery is bound to offer a more comprehensive team news update in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. In the meantime, at least we now know it was indeed nothing serious.
Aston Villa benefit from time off
The international break came at a great time for Villa as several sidelined players were just coming back into contention and were allowed to build fitness and sharpness away from the pressures of matches.
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Pau Torres made a brief cameo appearance off the bench against Brugge to return from his broken metatarsal injury but the Spaniard was by no means in peak condition. He should now be a lot closer to that, though, and is in line to start at the weekend.
The same can be said for Amadou Onana. The defensive midfielder just about returned to the matchday squad before the interval but was unable to feature off the bench. He should now be in contention to make it into the XI.
As long as there have been no new injuries suffered in training, Ross Barkley is now the only senior Villa player sidelined. The former England international sustained a meniscus injury before being set back with a calf issue. It’s understood the midfielder is close to a return but not quite ready.