YOU HAD BETTER WATCH OUT!
Warning to Ollie as Wesley is fit:
OLLIE WATKINS’ late charge towards the Euros could come under pressure – from within Villa Park.
The £28million striker returns to his club as an England hero, having scored on his Three Lions debut after coming on as a substitute against San Marino.
But along with fighting for recognition in Gareth Southgate’s eyes Watkins, 25, now has to hold off competition from fit-again forward Wesley to start for Dean Smith’s side.
The big Brazilian, 24, is on the cusp of returning after a horrendous 15-month lay-off for a knee-ligament injury he suffered on New Year’s Day against Burnley following a tackle by Ben Mee.
And Smith (right) says he is hopeful that his £22m capture from Bruges 21 months ago will give him food for thought during the last couple of months of the season.
He said: “We were all delighted for Ollie but Wesley played in a behind-closed-doors game against West Brom during the break and he’s in a better place than we expected.
“He was only going to play for half an hour – he ended up playing 45 minutes.
“I’d like to have got more minutes into him but that’s not been possible because of Covid.
“I wasn’t too hopeful he was going to be back before the end of the season but, having seen him in that practice game,
I’m more hopeful than I was.
“He’s certainly going to provide Ollie with some competition.
“Before his injury, he was starting to look the part.
“He scored a good goal in the game at Burnley where he did the injury. He found the net against Norwich, Everton – we know he can score goals and he’s certainly good enough to play at this level.” Smith did also suggest, however, that he might play both of them up front. He said: “It doesn’t have to be a case of one or the other – I’m not afraid of changing systems.
“When I signed Wesley, he was playing up front for Bruges and he was up there mainly playing alongside a guy called Krepin Diatta, who went on to sign for Monaco. “So I know he can partner players up front. “Wes can play as a 10, he can be a different type of player. “He’s got the body strength to hold the ball up for us and his technique holds up.” Smith will welcome Jack Grealish back into the fold this afternoon at home to Fulham. The Villa talisman has been missing for the past six matches – of which they have won just one.
Fulham won at Anfield on their last away trip and Smith accepts that they are now a different Cottagers side to the one Villa defeated 3-0 in London earlier this season.
He added: “I was at Wembley when they were promoted, Scott (Parker) did unbelievably well to get them back up.
“They’d gone down from the Premier League without too much of a fight and when he took over it looked like there was a losing culture within the club – he certainly changed that.
“So he did well on that score. This season they had a really tough start.
“It would have been easy for them to have fallen into the same trap as they did when they were in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago.
“But they haven’t. Scott has kicked them on. They’re one of the form teams down there. We will have to be on it.”