Ollie Watkins revealed he was fuming after being left out of the starting line-up for both of Aston Villa’s recent Champions League games.
Unai Emery’s side bowed out of the competition after a 5-4 defeat on aggregate by PSG, while Watkins was usurped by Marcus Rashford up front and played less than 30 minutes across two legs.
However, Watkins responded on the pitch on Saturday, scoring and assisting in Villa’s 4-1 thumping of Newcastle which saw them move up to sixth place.
The England international became the first ever Villa player to score 15 or more goals in three consecutive Premier League seasons. His first-minute opener also equalled Gabby Agbonlahor’s record as Villa’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League (74).
And speaking after the game, Watkins candidly aired his frustrations after his midweek Champions League snub, revealing he let Emery know he was ‘fuming’ at the decision.
The striker said: ‘Champions League, we’ve put in a lot of hard graft in the last few years to get to that position. Obviously I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games, so I’m not going to lie – I was fuming I wasn’t playing.
Ollie Watkins revealed he let Unai Emery know he was ‘fuming’ that he did not start either of Aston Villa’s Champions League quarter-final ties against PSG
Emery’s side lost 5-4 on aggregate as Watkins played less than 30 minutes across the two legs
The striker responded on Saturday by scoring and assisting in Villa’s 4-1 win over Newcastle
‘I let him [Emery] 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.’
Having been Villa’s main man up front for the past five years, Watkins admitted spending time on the bench was an unfamiliar experience.
However, he insisted that it has done little to hurt his confidence, and that he will instead use it as motivation to prove his gaffer wrong.
‘It’s something I haven’t experienced before, and then to miss out on the biggest stage, you always want to play, especially in the Champions League,’ the 29-year-old added.
‘Me and a few others are disappointed we didn’t start the game, but like I said, it’s the manager’s decision.
‘We did end up beating them, but obviously not across both legs. The team played really well, but I wanted to be out on the pitch much longer. 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.’
