Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez believes teammate Ollie Watkins should be named Player of the Season in the Premier League.
Watkins scored his 19th goal of the campaign against Arsenal on Sunday as Villa beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
The 28-year-old helped his side secure a crucial win in the race for a top four place while damaging the Gunners’ title hopes in the process.
He is having a season to remember and he has now moved to within one goal of Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland.
Following the impressive win for Unai Emery’s men, goalkeeper Martinez piled the praise onto his striker.
“I think Ollie should win Player of the Season,” Martinez told Sky Sports.
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“When you play for a ‘Big Six’ side, you get more credit but Ollie has scored 19 goals with the chances he’s got.
“He should be a really, really good contender.”
It will be tough for Watkins to beat Haaland as well as Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah to the award but his goals mean he is definitely in with a shout.
He is full of confidence and so much so, that after the game, he posted on social media to hit back at criticism.
Last month, former Watford and Birmingham striker Troy Deeney admitted he was ‘unconvinced’ by Watkins.
Comparing Watkins to fellow England forward Ivan Toney during the international break, Deeney told talkSPORT: “[I’d prefer] Toney. He holds the ball up better, his link-up play is excellent.
“With Ollie, this is going to sound negative but I promise you it is not, he is a winger trying to be a striker.
“That’s just who he is. He is very good at being a striker, but when Ivan stepped up and took that penalty [versus Belgium] did you think he was going to miss? I didn’t.”
Watkins has now responded to those comments following his goal against Arsenal, posting on Instagram with a picture of his celebration which included him doing a shush motion.
The caption alongside the picture mentioned Deeney read: “Not bad for a winger trying to be a striker.”
Aston Villa are now three points clear inside the top four and Watkins and co have moved one game closer to securing a Champions League place.
News Summary:
- Emi Martinez says Ollie Watkins is Player of the Year as Aston Villa star fires cheeky message back at Troy Deeney criticism
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.