Unai Emery's 'feud' with Ollie Watkins over Marcus Rashford selection explained

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is balancing an unhappy Ollie Watkins with the needs of the team at a crucial time of the season.

Watkins saw off competition from Jhon Duran in the first half of the campaign but Villa and Emery seized on the opportunity to do a loan deal for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in January.

With Emery's tactical approach and Villa's relative strength in numbers when it comes to players capable of operating off or outside a central striker, Rashford's position in a Villa shirt has moved from the left to the middle.

Watkins, regularly out of the team for the first time since he joined Villa in 2020, has spoken honestly about his frustration.

He started the season slowly after a summer with England and the lack of a proper pre-season.

While he has now found some form in front of goal, a player who was undroppable for so long is finding that his place is under considerable threat.

Rashford has unseated Watkins in both the Premier League and the Champions League in recent weeks and talk of a rift between Villa's joint-highest Premier League scorer and his manager is growing.

What has Ollie Watkins said?

Watkins has typically kept his counsel at Villa, speaking honestly when asked questions but unwilling to agitate for a transfer when Villa were struggling and he was in demand.

Not playing is evidently where he draws the line. Watkins spearheaded Villa through some tough years and was displeased to miss out on the reward for that work.

"Champions League, we've put in a lot of hard graft in the last few years to get to that position," he told Sky Sports after scoring against Newcastle United in the Premier League.

"I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games, so I'm not going to lie – I was fuming I wasn't playing.

"I let [Emery] know that. He's the manager at the end of the day. I respect his decision. But I'm not one of the players happy to sit on the bench.

"It's something I haven't experienced before and then to miss out on the biggest stage, you always want to play, especially in the Champions League.

"Me and a few others are disappointed we didn't start the game but like I said, it's the manager's decision."

What has Marcus Rashford said?

Loanee Rashford has let his football do the talking since joining Villa on loan in January.

His performance in their second-leg win over PSG was exceptional and he's turned the assists from his first few games into a regular supply of goals.

Rashford scored again in Villa's defeat against Manchester City, saying afterwards that "losing a game in the last minutes was tough, but we have to stay focused and be ready for the next game."

Marcus Rashford has found form at Aston Villa (Image: Getty)

Watkins and Rashford have been rotated of late but Rashford, on loan and starting the bigger games, has the luxury of keeping his head down and speaking generally about being happy to play football and willing to fight for a place.

What has Unai Emery said?

The Villa manager has been asked about Watkins at every press conference and in every post-match interview since the striker made his irritation clear.

His focus remains on the fight for a Champions League place and in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.

Pundits including Roy Keane and Gary Neville have made the obvious point for Emery; keeping Watkins happy is a small part of his job and Villa has to be the priority.

The manager said after Villa beat Newcastle: "[Watkins] played fantastic today. He's commitment always is high commitment to try to get his best."

Asked how difficult it is to make a decision between Rashford and Watkins, Emery said that "I needed time to decide."

Emery spoke again before and after the Man City game and flatly played down the idea of a feud.

"It was a conversation, like he told it was a good conversation between us," he told the media. "But it was last week and now we keep going, keep training and keep playing."

Is Ollie Watkins or Marcus Rashford better for Aston Villa?

Competition for places isn't just a matter of frustration for players at clubs battling on several fronts, but an essential.

Villa continue to benefit from having two strikers capable of doing damage at the highest level.

Watkins has scored 15 goals in the Premier League this season at a rate of 0.60 goals per 90 minutes, and a shade under 0.28 assists per 90.

Since joining Villa, Rashford's goals per 90 has improved slightly to 0.41, which is identical to his rate of assists.

In pure goal contribution terms, Watkins – over the season as a whole – has the edge.

Ollie Watkins has faced competition from Marcus Rashford (Image: Getty)

Taking his league games for Man Utd into account, Rashford has been slightly more efficient in front of goal and more prolific when it comes to shot-creating actions.

But the key to understanding Emery's motivations lies in what happens outside the box, where both work hard off the ball but Rashford is the superior player in terms of taking on defenders and Watkins is the more reliable passer.

Emery knows his players' strengths and those of his opponents. Style, perhaps, is a bigger factor than people realise.

Has Unai Emery frozen out players before?

Emery has clashed with players on a few occasions.

His relationship with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal was frayed and the German was among the players Emery criticised for their attitudes after he left the Emirates. Granit Xhaka also gave him some headaches during a difficult time for the Swiss midfielder.

Hatem Ben Arfa, who fell out of Emery's favour at PSG, is not a fan either.

The manager's fiery disposition is legend but fall-outs aren't always final.

Back in 2023, reports emerged of issues with Villa duo Emi Martinez and Youri Tielemans. Both are key players for the Villans, with Tielemans arguably in the form of his career.

Will Ollie Watkins leave Aston Villa?

It's possible. Watkins has admirers throughout the Premier League and Villa have had to repel interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and especially Arsenal over the years.

The Gunners are favourites to be his next club if he does leave Villa Park, according to OLBG, while even a swap deal with Man Utd for Rashford has been mooted.

Ultimately, player unrest doesn't go away once it's been aired in public and Watkins is likely to get a move in the summer transfer window.

Watkins is enormously popular at Villa. Upsetting him for the sake of a loan player isn't something Villa fans universally agree with and a sale would be heavily criticised.

The striker should be applauded for speaking honestly when asked questions directly but the situation is showing a little too much of Villa's innards when their focus needs to be on matches.

For now, the big question is who starts at Wembley on Saturday.