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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been told to consider dropping Ollie Watkins ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace after the international break as the striker has not scored for the Birmingham club in any of their last five matches.
Villa are currently going through a tough period of form having lost their last four matches, which has seen them drop from fourth to ninth in the Premier League standings and eliminated from the EFL Cup.
Emery’s side will look to get their campaign back on track after the international break as there are many winnable games on the horizon.
Aston Villa host Crystal Palace on November 23 and ahead of that match at Villa Park, BBC pundit Nigel Reo-Coker has advised Emery to bench Watkins so he can “regain energy and fire” ahead of the busy Christmas period of the season.
“I like Morgan Rogers in that number 10 role. You talk about, obviously, Jhon Duran, the impact he’s had coming off as a sub,” the former Villa star said on the Premier League Review show. “I still think Ollie Watkins is there. Maybe it might be time to give Ollie Watkins a little bit of a rest, just to regain that energy and that fire.”
Ollie Watkins in action for Aston Villa. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Should Jhon Duran replace Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa?
Watkins’ start to the season was compromised due to his participation at Euro 2024 with England this summer but after a slow start, the 28-year-old eventually returned to the form he showed throughout the 2023/24 campaign – which attracted interest from Man United.
The striker has produced five goals and three assists across 15 matches this season but the Englishman has not gone five games without scoring.
The form of Jhon Duran will be putting pressure on Watkins but Emery should not succumb to the pressure of pundits and fans as the gap in quality between the duo is big. The Colombian’s time as a starting Aston Villa striker will come, but it should not be anytime soon.
