Ollie Watkins
Something to shout about... Villa striker Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins says there is no ill will towards Aston Villa manager Unai Emery as he moved to clarify his comments in the wake of being left out of the Lions' starting XI for both legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain last month.
Watkins, who with the winning goal against Bournemouth last Saturday established himself as the club's highest scorer in the Premier League era, came off the bench in both games against the French champions, who eventually prevailed and will take on Inter Milan in the final later this month.
He was then handed a start in the next league game, the win over Newcastle United, in which he opened the scoring early in the game. Following the full time whistle, Watkins gave an impassioned interview to Sky Sports in which he outlined his dissatisfaction at not having been granted an opportunity ahead of his forward colleagues over the course of the tie.
"I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games. I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn't playing - I let him [Emery] know that," Watkins said at the time. "He's the manager, you have to respect his decision, [but] I am not one of these players happy to sit on the bench.
"It is something I have not experienced before, to miss out on the biggest stage. I wanted to be out on the pitch for much longer. I have played a big part to get to where we are today and I want to play in those games."
Since, Watkins - who scored in the comfortable win over Southampton in between the PSG legs - has also netted in the win over Bournemouth last weekend, his 18th goal of the campaign for club and country. He has now moved to qualify his previous comments and reiterated the respect he has for Emery.
"It wasn't in a disrespectful way," Watkins told Sky Sports. "Some people can take it like that, but I'm a footballer. At the end of the day, that's my job. If I'm not playing, then I'm not happy.
"It was as simple as that, really. You want to be playing every game possible. There is no animosity between me and the boss. I have all faith in him and in what he decides."
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