Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is disappointed after losing his place in the team to Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa on a temporary deal in January, which lasts until the summer.
The England international found himself out of favour at Manchester United after two years of dire form, but it was newly appointed head coach Ruben Amorim who made the ultimate decision to move the player on mid-season.
United are planning for a mass overhaul with many leaving the club in the summer. Rashford is among those being tipped to depart because it doesn’t look like he will be playing his way into Amorim’s future plans.
Since his move to Villa, Rashford has made 14 appearances, scoring three goals on top of five assists.
It remains to be seen if Villa be able to fund a permanent deal for Rashford and that could depend heavily on whether they can secure Champions League qualification ahead of next season.
Ollie Watkins envious of Marcus Rashford role
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery recently replaced Ollie Watkins with Marcus Rashford in the startling line, ultimately deciding to bench his top scorer this season.
It’s a controversial decision made easier by the fact Watkins has been managing a knee injury in recent weeks, but the striker has been forced to sit on the bench for four of Villa’s last five games.
Rashford and Watkins have played together seven times since United and Villa agreed on the loan deal, but the last occasion came in mid-March. This would suggest that Emery’s preference is to start one of them and replace the other as a substitute later on in the match.
It gives Villa depth if nothing else, but Watkins is feeling disappointed not to be getting as much game time. On Saturday, the 29-year-old scored the winner against Southampton after coming off the bench.
Watkins has elaborated on his feelings after being left out of the starting line-up in recent weeks, although he admits the team has improved following Villa’s additions in January.
“I think this is probably the best Villa squad there is in terms of depth and quality,” Watkins said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “[It’s] a bit of a headache for the manager.
“With a fully-fit squad, Ross Barkley, an unbelievable player, is missing out, so, it shows the depth that we have got. For me, I’m not happy to sit on the bench.
“It’s disappointing every game that I am on the bench, but it is the manager’s decision at the end of the day. All you can do when you come on the pitch is to try to make an impact and then go from there.”
The question Emery needs to ask is whether Rashford’s form warrants a starting role over Watkins.
Perhaps Emery is focused on getting the most out of his new shy toy, even though there are no guarantees that Rashford will be at Villa Park beyond this season.
Emery explains next step for Rashford at Watkins
Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals second leg on Tuesday night.
The Premier League outfit need to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg when they host PSG at Villa Park. Emery will be relying on his strike force to deliver on a big night in Europe, but he will not be partnering Rashford and Watkins for the game.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Emery said: “We did with Rashford playing left side, but now we are choosing more with both playing as strikers. That’s the next step. I want to practice. I want to test, but not now, with enough time.”
Rashford will be hoping to replicate the European nights he enjoyed against PSG for United.
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