Ollie Watkins injury update: Thomas Tuchel on 'very painful' collision as Aston Villa star subbed off vs Wales
The England and Aston Villa was subbed off at half-time after colliding with the post in the Three Lions 3-0 win over Wales
Aston Villa face an away trip down to London to play Tottenham Hotspur next weekend. They will make the journey to the Tottenham Hotspur in confident mood following their recent upturn in form. Unai Emery’s side made a slow start to the new season but things have started to click for them.
Attacker Donyell Malen scored twice against Burnley last time out as they ran out 2-1 winners at Villa Park to secure a useful points. The Midlands club are positioned in 13th place in the Premier League table. They will be eager to rise up the league over the coming weeks.
Injury update regarding Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins was substituted for England on Thursday night during their World Cup qualifying clash against Wales. The Three Lions won 3-0 against Craig Bellamy’s side at Wembley. Watkins managed to get on the scoresheet for his country along with Morgan Rogers and Bukayo Saka.
However, he was taken off after a nasty collision with the goalpost. He was immediately given treatment but was withdrawn at half-time. Marcus Rashford, who spent time on loan with Villa last season, was brought on as his replacement.
In this latest update regarding Watkins’ condition, his international boss Thomas Tuchel said after the game: “He’s okay. It was a clear goal normally for him but unfortunately he saw the ball too late and couldn’t score and crashed into the post. It was very, very painful, but as I understood it now it’s only painful so no harm done.”
What now for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins after England injury
Aston Villa will need to make checks on Watkins when he returns from his England duties. As former Chelsea head coach Tuchel alluded to though, he should be fine. All parties will be relieved that it wasn’t more serious and that he isn’t set for a spell on the sidelines.
The attacker has scored one league goal so far this campaign. It has been a slow first couple of months of the new term by his standards and it has taken a while for him to find his shooting boots. Nevertheless, he has plenty of time to add to his tally.
Watkins was snapped up by his current club in 2020 and has since been a great servant for them over the last five years. He has been a focal point at the top end of the pitch and has proved that he knows where the back of the net is at the top level. The Torquay-born man has scored 88 goals in 233 matches, 17 of which came last season.
Prior to his move to Aston Villa, he was a hit at Brentford and found the net on 49 occasions in 143 outings for the Bees before earning his big transfer to the top flight. He rose up through the academy ranks at Exeter City and was a regular for them at various different youth levels before breaking into their first-team as a teenager, as well as being loaned out to Weston-super-Mare in non-league.