Courtesy: Google
Aston Villa may welcome striker Ollie Watkins in the playing XI for the upcoming trip to Preston North End in the FA Cup 2024-25 quarter-finals. Watkins was seen at the training camp, practicing with teammates. It was an injury suffered before the international break raised concerns, and therefore, Watkins did not participate in Villa's warm-weather training camp in Dubai, nor did he appear in the 3-1 friendly triumph over Al Ain.
The injury took place against Club Brugge, when Watkins played only 45 minutes in the 3-0 triumph at Villa Park, but had to leave the match by the end of the first half for treatment. The striker landed awkwardly on his ankle and appeared to be in discomfort. However, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery thought the injury wasn’t that serious. “Ollie Watkins, he told us to change him because he was not feeling good,” Emery admitted. “I don’t know exactly what his injury is, I think it is small.”
Unai Emery is expected to provide a full team news update later this afternoon
Days before the Preston game, Villa, on its official social media account, shared images of Watkins in training. Phew. However, one cannot say by just checking the image his condition, but Watkins appears to be in good shape as he takes a blow at the ball. The presence of a teammate in the backdrop, possibly Boubacar Kamara, shows that the photographs were also shot during full training, which is quite good.
It remains to be seen if Watkins will be fit to start against Preston, although manager Unai Emery is expected to provide a full team news update during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The international break for Villa came at the right time because numerous injured players were just getting back into shape and looking forward to sharpening their game skills.
Pau Torres made a quick cameo appearance off the bench against Brugge to recover from a broken metatarsal injury, but the Spaniard was far from peak shape. He should be much closer to that today, with a start date set for the weekend. Besides other players, Ross Barkley, the senior Villa player, suffered a meniscus injury before being sidelined with a calf ailment. The midfielder is expected to return soon, but he is not yet fit.
