In Saturday’s 4-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United, the recalled Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins let loose with a spectacular performance.
After being twice denied by the woodwork in the first half, Watkins scored in the first minute and then set up teammate Ian Maatsen to give Villa the lead again in a wild second half.
Villa’s decisive victory put them in sixth place and put them in the running to qualify for the Champions League.
Watkins’ statement was noteworthy because manager Unai Emery had chosen to start on-loan forward Marcus Rashford in place of the England forward, who had been benched in five of Villa’s previous six games, including both legs of the Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain.
Watkins acknowledged that losing his spot had left him furious. His deflected strike after 33 seconds was his 74th Premier League goal for Villa, a joint club record.
Former Brentford striker Watkins told Sky Sports, “I think the manager’s got a little bit of a headache because I am banging on his door saying why am I not playing.”
“We’ve put in a lot of hard graft the last few years to get to that position. And obviously I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games. I’m not going to lie. I was fuming I wasn’t playing and I let him know that.
“But he’s the manager at the end of the day and you’ve got to respect his decision, but I’m not one of those players that’s happy to sit on the bench.”
Watkins has scored 15 Premier League goals this season, more than any other English player, and his omission will not have gone unnoticed by clubs keen to sign the 29-year-old.
Asked about his demotion to the bench, Watkins added: “I think it’s something I haven’t experienced before, and then obviously to miss out on the biggest stage, you always want to be playing, especially in the Champions League,” he said.
“I think me and a few others were disappointed that we didn’t start the game. We did end up beating [PSG] but obviously not, not across both legs. The team played really well but I wanted to be out on the pitch much longer.
“I have contributed significantly to our current situation, so I wanted to start in the crucial games.”
Watkins is expected to start for Villa when they go to Manchester City on Tuesday, surpassing Gabriel Agbonlahor as the team’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League.
“I am not far away now, and I would set my eyes on that target since when I signed for the club,” he stated.
