Ollie Watkins: Thomas Tuchel has surely seen everything he needs from Aston Villa star after he ran Nottingham Forest ragged
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The 30-year-old has been in fine form for Unai Emery’s men of late, and he starred for them in their 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.Watkins set Villa on their way with a close-range finish in the 36th minute, but that was far from the full extent of his positive work throughout the 90 minutes. Watkins also set up John McGinn for Villa’s third goal on Thursday night, and Thomas Tuchel has surely seen everything that he needed to from the striker after his latest display. ⚽ Aston Villa Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Aston Villa fixture.
StatsWatkins TotalsG/A2Chances Created1Shots on Target3Accurate Passes17/22 (77%)Defensive Contributions2Aerial Duels Won2/2 (100%)Watkins’ stats in Villa’s win over Nottingham Forest, as per Fotmob.His absence from the England squad for the March friendlies served as a challenge from Tuchel to up his game, and that is exactly what he has done since then. With that in mind, Tuchel has surely now seen enough from him to know that he simply has to be on the plane this summer.
Ollie Watkins fires Aston Villa into the lead 💥What a run that was from Buendia 💫📺 TNT Sports and HBO Max pic.twitter.com/bPKsvSmqth— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 7, 2026 View Tweet Watkins offers a different option to Kane in terms of his pace and threat running the channels, but he is also more than capable playing with his back to goal.Watkins’ Aston Villa future now in no doubtFootball Insider revealed at the end of February that Aston Villa may sell Watkins this summer, after he has largely underperformed throughout the campaign.However, the former Brentford man has always thrived when he feels he has a point to prove, and the turnaround in his game in recent months has surely secured his future at Villa Park. Tuchel has clearly had his doubts over Watkins in recent months, but they must surely have evaporated after his latest exploits. 🦁 ASTON VILLA INSIDER UPDATE 🦁 Get the inside track on the Villa Park dugout, transfer strategy, player wages, and technical leadership at Bodymoor Heath.