According to reports, Unai Emery reacted strongly to Ollie Watkins’ controversial and notable interview. Aston Villa, after a valuable 4-1 victory over Newcastle at Villa Park, faced Manchester City in a crucial match for Champions League qualification.

In that match, Watkins led Villa’s attack and quickly made an impact; he scored the first goal in the very first minute and then assisted the second goal for Ian Maatsen to earn the Man of the Match title.

However, after the game, Watkins harshly criticized Unai Emery and expressed his dissatisfaction with being benched in the Champions League matches against Paris Saint-Germain; in both games, Marcus Rashford had replaced him in the starting lineup.

Watkins told Sky Sports:“Champions League? We worked hard in recent years to reach this stage. I only played 20 minutes in both matches against PSG, and honestly, I was very angry not to be in the lineup. I told him (Emery) that. Ultimately, he is the coach, and I respect his decision. But I am not the type of player who is satisfied with sitting on the bench.”

However, Emery once again rotated his squad for the match against Manchester City and decided to start Rashford, benching Watkins after his strong comments.

Before the match, when asked about his decision to start Rashford and Watkins’ reaction, he said: “Our planning is done collectively; it relates to the team’s overall readiness and how we plan for the 90 minutes.”