Ollie Watkins ruled out of Manchester City clash: Aston Villa injury update

Unai Emery says Watkins and Duan will miss Man City clash

Ollie Watkins limped off at halftime of Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory against Wolves on the weekend. The manager of Aston Villa, Unai Emery, has provided a report on the striker’s fitness before their upcoming travel to title-chasing Manchester City.

With 16 goals to his record, Watkins is second only to Erling Haaland in the Premier League’s top scorer statistics. With Villa vying for a Champions League berth, Watkins will be looking to reach 20 goals by the end of the season.

Watkins appears to be a valuable asset for England as they travel to Euro 2024 with the hopes of finishing as the division’s top scorer this season with the highest G/A (goals and assists).

With the tournament in Germany starting in less than two months, Villa and Three Lions supporters were extremely alarmed when they saw their team substituted for young attacker Jhon Duran due to an injury sustained late in the first half against Wolves.

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Additionally, Emery says the striker won’t be available for the trip to the Etihad, but he might play when Brentford visits the stadium this coming weekend.

In remarks made prior to Aston Villa’s Wednesday night trip to Manchester City, Emery acknowledged that Watkins would be absent from the match against Pep Guardiola’s team. However, he may be able to return over the weekend, which would aid in both their Premier League and Europa Conference League preparation.

He said: “They will not be available for tomorrow. They have small injuries. Jacob Ramsey is not getting better like he wants. We are not in a hurry with him. For tomorrow he will not be available.

“With Ollie, it is more or less the same. Ollie’s injury is a small injury, with some days rest, maybe he could be available for the next match.”

‘Without Watkins tomorrow, he will have the opportunity to get minutes, to get confidence and to show his power and capacity. It is his moment, as well.’

With eight games remaining in a direct shootout with Tottenham for a top-four spot, both teams can score as many as 83 points. His availability might be crucial to bringing some of the best teams in Europe to the West Midlands the next season.

The top three teams still await Villa, and their travels to Brighton and Crystal Palace won’t be simple. However, there’s newfound optimism that Villa, if they can persevere through the challenging games, can surprise everyone by finishing in the top four.

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