Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, has sent an ominous warning to the rest of the Premier League, stating that star striker Ollie Watkins is yet to reach his potential.
The 28-year-old has been in superb form this season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions as Villa push for a top-four finish and continue their search for a trophy with a tense UEFA Conference League last-16 meeting against Ajax on Thursday, live on TNT Sports and Discovery
Watkins’ ability to score goals has seldom been called into question during his rise through the English football tiers. He scored 26 goals in the 2019/20 Championship season as Brentford came narrowly short of promotion, earning a transfer to Villa a few months later.
However, the Premier League marks a significant increase in quality and intensity that has proven to be the ruin of many prospects, so success was not certain. Watkins, on the other hand, fit very quickly and scored 16 goals in his first season.
In fact, he has scored in double figures in each of his four seasons in the top division, earning him a call-up to the England squad.
And there are strong evidence that he is still developing as a player. In addition to his goals, Watkins has added assists to his game, demonstrating his versatility as the focal point of Emery’s flowing and dangerous assault.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ Between The Lines, the Spaniard addressed what has made Watkins one of the top forwards in the country.
“He has scored goals before but the most important thing he does for us is he’s a hard worker and he wants always to try more,” he said.
“He always wants to view movies of himself in order to figure out how he might improve. As a coach, I focus on the player’s behavior and devotion to the team. Additionally, we emphasize the need of understanding that each match is unique. We can’t always have places in back. “I believe his best days are ahead of him.”
