Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has revealed that striker Ollie Watkins has been managing a persistent knee injury for over a year but confirmed the issue will not require surgery.
The forward’s struggle for form has seen him score just twice in his last 24 appearances, and only once in 19 games this season. His dip in performance led to him being dropped for the first time in the Premier League this term for Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Wolves, with Donyell Malen taking his place. Watkins was also omitted from the latest England squad, with the national team’s head coach stating the player was “playing in discomfort.”
Speaking ahead of Villa’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, Emery acknowledged that a combination of the knee problem and a lack of confidence was behind the striker’s difficult spell.
“He’s had a small pain in his knee since last year when we started the season,” Emery said. “He’s not feeling 100 per cent, so we are trying to manage it with him. We are trying to get him completely without pain, and through this, to feel better again and have the confidence to score goals.”
Emery explained that Watkins is being given periods of rest to manage the pain, noting he sat out of team training on Monday but will be available for the Brighton match. “He won’t have surgery,” the manager stated. “For this pain, he needs rest.”
As Villa’s primary No. 9, Watkins is a key figure in the team’s attack, and his manager backed him to rediscover his form.
“Hopefully, he can feel 100 per cent well and only focus on his play, not on his pain,” Emery added. “Ollie Watkins has my complete confidence. He is always doing his task and never gives up. He may be low on his normal confidence because he is not scoring, but the goals will come.”
Aston Villa head into the match against Brighton on the back of a five-game winning streak in all competitions.
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