Ollie Watkins has been told he has "every reason to be frustrated" amid a losing battle for Aston Villa game time with Marcus Rashford.
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Watkins angry over Villa situationRashford preferred in attack of lateWright defends England strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Watkins has had to play second fiddle to Manchester United loanee Rashford in recent weeks, with the 29-year-old saying he was "fuming" at being benched repeatedly. Now, Arsenal hero Ian Wright has speculated that the ex-Brentford man may feel "disrespected" with Rashford's arrival and often being the second choice behind the 27-year-old.
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He said on Stick to Football: “When Jhon Duran was at Aston Villa, the form of Ollie Watkins was in and out. Ollie gives me the impression that when he is dealing with that kind of pressure, he doesn’t get the shout. With Marcus Rashford coming in, maybe he feels disrespected. Of course, he has every reason to be frustrated about what’s going on, and I’m quite pleased that he said he was fuming – as a striker, you want to be out there scoring goals. When he played against Newcastle and started that game, he was brilliant – that would’ve been enough for me to give him back his spot. If he’s not getting his spot back when he’s doing the right stuff, he’s going to be fuming."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Wright stuck up for Watkins, United legend Roy Keane has defended Rashford for starting ahead of his team-mate for Villa's loss at Manchester City in midweek. The Villa forward was the subject of interest from Arsenal in January, a team he grew up supporting, and if the Villans are not careful, he could be on the move this summer if he continues to have limited game time. Much may depend on whether Unai Emery's men decide to sign Rashford permanently, though.
GettyWHAT NEXT?
All eyes will be on whether Watkins starts up front for Villa in their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
