Aston Villa Ace Accused of ‘Downing Tools’ Since Rashford’s Arrival – It’s Easy to See Why
Callum Bishop
20 – 25 minutes
Summary
Aston Villa’s January business has helped strengthen them in the second half of the season.
Marcus Rashford has been in magnificent form since his loan signing.
Rashford’s arrival has spelled bad news for one of his Villa teammates.
More often than not, the January transfer window is a fairly mundane affair, with clubs demanding so much for their star players that they are rarely on the move, while others would rather wait for the summer to conduct their business. That was not the case with Aston Villa though, as the Villans gave manager Unai Emery some substantial backing in the winter and it has so far paid dividends.
Five new signings arrived at Villa Park in January, with Axel Disasi and Andres Garcia providing more numbers at the back, while the likes of Donyell Malen and Marco Asensio bolstered the attack and have proved worthwhile additions. There was also the addition of Marcus Rashford, who brought his Manchester United nightmare to an end – temporarily, at least.
What has followed for the Englishman is a return to form. He has looked a bigger threat than he had been in the previous 18 months, earning him a recall to the England squad. Since returning from international duty, he has scored three times in as many games, opening his account in the claret colours. For almost everyone, it has been the perfect scenario. But for one of his teammates, Rashford’s arrival appears to be the worst thing that could’ve possibly happened.
Aston Villa Marcus Rashford-1
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Ollie Watkins Sees Form Drop Off Since Rashford Arrival
The striker has not been his dangerous self since Rashford arrived
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins
One of the question marks surrounding the arrivals of Malen, Asensio, and Rashford was how they were all going to fit into the Villa squad, given that star players like Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers were in exceptional form themselves while playing in the same areas of the pitch. It also seemed impossible that anyone would snatch the number nine position from Ollie Watkins, given that Emery had opted to keep him amid interest from Arsenal and instead sell budding young star Jhon Duran.
If anyone was going to compete with Watkins, it was going to be Rashford. That is despite the fact that history has shown that the 27-year-old isn’t a natural number nine and is more suited to playing off the left. That should’ve played into Watkins’ hands, but recent displays have shown that hasn’t been the case.
While his new teammate has looked electric, Watkins has appeared lethargic. All in all, Watkins has managed 14 goals this season, which is a bit of a drop-off from the 27 he posted last term. However, of those 14, just three have come since Rashford’s arrival, while he has also managed just two assists in that time, taking his campaign total to 12.
GMS_Wat
Rather than move into another gear with stiffer competition waiting in the wings, Watkins has floundered and made it easier for his manager to rotate him. Given that the Midlands side are competing on three fronts – the race for Europe in the league, the FA Cup semi-final, and the Champions League quarter-final – rotation is inevitable.
However, the 28-year-old’s recent form, including his display in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, may be enough for Emery to decide to use him sparingly, while giving Rashford the opportunity to start in the more meaningful ties, like the upcoming midweek clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Unai Emery of Aston Villa
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Watkins Struggles Against Nottingham Forest
Fans have slammed the striker for his recent efforts
MixCollage-05-Apr-2025-08-01-PM-1641
With one eye on the return to the Champions League, Watkins was thrown in from the start against high-flying Forest, while Rashford returned to the bench despite his goalscoring form. Having seen what his compatriot had produced in recent games, it was up to Watkins to reassert his status as Villa’s first-choice number nine.
And while his side managed to pick up an important three points, it had nothing to do with their number eleven’s efforts. Watkins was practically non-existent, failing to muster an attempt on goal, all while taking just 10 touches throughout the game. He was sloppy in possession, making just four successful passes and losing the ball six times as he failed to hold up play. His misery was ended when he was replaced by Rashford on the 65th minute, who injected more pace and energy to proceedings.
Watkins Stats vs Nottingham Forest
Minutes Played
65
Touches
10
Passes (Completed)
7 (4)
Shots
0
Big Chances Created
0
Aerial Duels (Won)
3 (1)
Possession Lost
6
In fact, his showing was so poor that fans even began to claim that he was downing tools since Rashford’s arrival and that his level had severely dropped off ever since the Manchester United man stepped foot at Villa.
Having gone from being the man that many wanted to be given a greater chance for England at Euro 2024, Watkins now finds himself fighting for his immediate future at club level. If Villa are able to finish the season with a successful league standing and even a trophy, Watkins will need to make sure he finds his mojo so he can look at his contributions in the final weeks of the season with pride.
Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins
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All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – accurate as of 07/04/2025.
