Ollie Watkins injury latest: Unai Emery delivers Aston Villa update before Wolves derby clash
Ollie Watkins is fully fit to feature for Aston Villa in their West Midlands derby contest against Wolves this weekend.
The influential England striker handed Villa a scare on their long-awaited Champions League return in Switzerland on Tuesday evening, replaced by Jhon Duran on the hour mark during the comfortable 3-0 win over Young Boys.
Watkins was then spotted with ice on his Achilles on the bench at the Stade de Suisse, sparking fears that he had suffered an injury.
His absence would have represented a crucial blow for Villa, with the 28-year-old having finished as the club’s top goalscorer in each of the past four seasons, notching 27 in total in 53 appearances across all competitions last term.
Watkins has made a more profligate start to this season at times, though did open his account for the campaign with a double last weekend as Villa fought back from behind at home to beat struggling Everton 3-2 and move into fifth place in the early top-flight table with three wins from their first four matches, to go along with their victorious return to Europe.
The fixtures now come thick and fast for Villa over the coming weeks, with manager Unai Emery allaying any fears over a lay-off for his key attacking talisman.
"He’s available 100 per cent to play,” the Spaniard said of Watkins at this pre-Wolves press conference on Friday. “He had some problems, like other players, but not relevant. He’s now available tomorrow 100 per cent to play.”
There was more good news from Emery on long-term Villa absentees Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings, both of whom are now stepping up their respective returns from serious injury in training.
France midfielder Kamara has not played since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Manchester United back in February, while ex-England defender Mings has been out with his own ACL injury since the opening day of last season.
"Kamara and Mings are training every day now consistently with the team, they started this week. It’s very good news,” Emery said of the duo.
Villa’s only other absentee at present is right-back Matty Cash, who sustained a hamstring injury in last month’s loss to Arsenal at Villa Park and was expected to miss around four weeks.
The impressive form of Duran so far this season after a summer transfer window in which he was heavily linked with a move away from Villa has led to calls for the Colombian to start alongside Watkins in attack, with a spectacular winner against Everton following similar exploits off the bench against both Leicester and West Ham.
Emery said on Duran before the visit of rivals Wolves: “He is close to playing in the starting eleven and he has to understand as well in his process how he can manage to play with Ollie Watkins. But of course, I am very happy with how he has started this season."
