Unai Emery issues blunt statement as he reacts to Ollie Watkins' interview after Marcus Rashford decision

Unai Emery has reacted to Ollie Watkins' extraordinary interview after making a big Marcus Rashford decision for Aston Villa's game against Manchester City.

Villa resume their Premier League campaign against Man City as they push for Champions League qualification.

They are coming off a stunning victory over Newcastle United, having beaten their rivals 4-1 at Villa Park last weekend.

Watkins led the line and wasted no time in making an impact as he opened the scoring inside the very first minute.

He also set up Ian Maatsen for their second goal in a 'Man of the Match' performance.

After the game, Watkins slammed Emery as he expressed his frustration at being dropped for his side's Champions League fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain, with Rashford getting the nod for both matches.

Watkins told Sky Sports: "Champions League, we've put in a lot of hard graft in the last few years to get to that position.

"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 him (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."

Emery has once again rotated his team's attack for their clash against Man City.

He has opted to start with Rashford, dropping Watkins to the bench following his post-match outburst.

"Collectively, it's how we plan 90 minutes."

Unai Emery on why he's started Marcus Rashford over Ollie Watkins 🔁 pic.twitter.com/2oHQYwnnzx

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 22, 2025

Speaking ahead of kick-off, Emery was asked about his decision to start with Rashford and Watkins' frustrations to which he replied: "Collectively, it's our preparation and how we are planning for 90 minutes."

After the match, which saw City claim a late winner through Matheus Nunes, Emery spoke further on the situation with Watkins, adding: "It was a conversation, like he told it was a good conversation between us.

"But it was last week and now we keep going, keep training and keep playing."

This season, Watkins has scored 16 goals across all competitions, including 15 league goals.

He bagged 27 goals last season.