Roy Keane and Gary Neville have both backed Unai Emery after Ollie Watkins admitted he was “fuming” to be left on the bench for Marcus Rashford. Aston Villa boss Emery left star striker Watkins out of his starting line-up for both Champions League quarter-final clashes against Paris Saint-Germain.
Emery repeated the decision for Tuesday night’s Premier League game against Manchester City, preferring to start with on-loan Manchester United forward Rashford. The decision quickly looked smart, with Rashford striking the post inside 30 seconds before he equalised with a penalty following a contentious VAR decision.
Watkins might have thought he would be the unchallenged No.9 once Villa sold Jhon Duran in the January transfer window, but Rashford’s arrival on loan from United – and potential £40million summer move – has ruffled his feathers. Rashford now has four goals and six assists for Villa and Emery has been backed to rotate his strikers.
“Rashford has a good record here,” Keane said on Sky Sports before kick-off. “It’s not his [Emery] job to keep players happy. It is a good option to have. The manager is focused and he needs that balance. If Rashford does the business, he says well done.
“If not, he tells Watkins to warm up and he gets on. There is a huge pressure and he has made a big call. That is what he is paid to do. You want players to be disappointed. Imagine having a brilliant player like Watkins being happy on the bench? You need your star players to step up. It is a big night.”
Neville added: “I can understand why Marcus Rashford is starting over Ollie Watkins. He has a good record here and counter-attacking is one of his great strengths. You can see that Unai Emery wants to be rotating his strikers and that keeps everyone fresh.
“Emery will not change his system for players. Strikers being left out is not a big deal especially with massive games, it is normal. It is a bit disrespectful to you teammates sometimes to think that you should be starting, but you always need more than one striker in your squad.”
Watkins gave an eye-catching and honest interview after Villa thrashed Newcastle on the weekend. He said: “I’m not going to lie – I was fuming I wasn’t playing. I let him know that. He’s the manager at the end of the day. I respect his decision. But I’m not one of the players happy to sit on the bench.
‘It’s something I haven’t experienced before, missing out on the biggest stage. You always want to play, especially in the Champions League. Me and a few others are disappointed we didn’t start the game, but like I said, it’s the manager’s decision.
“I wanted to be starting in the important games because I’ve played a big part to get to where we are today. Rather than let it hinder you, you have to use that anger and let it spur you on to prove the manager different.”
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