Former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has sent a message regarding Ollie Watkins this season after a slow start in front of goal.
The England international is one of a number of players struggling to hit peak form for Unai Emery’s side at the moment, and that lack of goals for him and others will be a real concern.
Smith discussed Watkins as one of a number of topics in his interview with the Athletic recently.
Having worked closely with Watkins, Smith said that he’s a player who “works his socks off”, but also tends to worry a bit too much about goals.
Dean Smith on Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins looks on during Aston Villa’s pre-match preparations (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
“He probably worries — or used to worry too much — about not scoring. Now you guarantee 15 league goals a season from him,” Smith said.
Of course, the issue Villa are now finding is that perhaps they can no longer guarantee that they’ll get that many goals out of him.
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Watkins has undoubtedly been a top performer for Villa down the years, and he probably could even have shone at a bigger club in that time amid links with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Still, we’re perhaps now seeing signs that the 29-year-old is past his best, and that will be a big concern as Emery tries to turn this team’s form around.
Villa sold Jhon Duran back in January, and that perhaps increasingly looks like a poor decision as the talented young forward could have been an ideal long-term replacement for Watkins.
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