Villa cruised past Young Boys on their Champions League debut, but the sight of Ollie Watkins sat on the bench with an ice pack strapped to his right ankle did warrant some cause for concern.
Watkins, who recently withdrew from England’s Nations League squad through injury, took a heavy knock in the first half of the game in Bern. Villa’s top scorer last season wasn’t risked beyond the hour mark and was replaced by Jhon Duran in a match we would run out comfortable winners.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhilst Duran is in excellent form, having both strikers available isn’t the selection headache it might appear for Emery. Watkins delivered both goals and assists consistently last term, whilst the promising Colombian, is untested when it comes to full 90 minutes or stretches of fixtures. The problem arguably comes if either is unavailable, exposing Villa’s limited strength in depth in this area of the squad. Indeed, few supporters could realistically have expected Duran to be pressing for being a starter over Watkins the year, especially given a less-than-subtle courting of West Ham’s advances for his signature in the close season.
WATKINS = “OK”
Post match, Emery played down fears about Watkins stating in his post match press conference that the attacker was ok. For most injuries, ice is recommended during the first 24 to 48 hours. This helps reduce the pain and swelling that are part of the inflammatory stage of healing, giving some indication of the purpose of the pack (pictured below). We will have to monitor closely for any updates, as Villa now prepare to face a struggling Wolves side in the Premier League and maintain momentum domestically.
