Ollie Watkins exclusive: 'He doesn't speak to me too much' – Aston Villa striker on Unai Emery relationship

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has admitted manager Unai Emery "hardly says things to me" as he opened up about his relationship with the Spaniard, which he credits for his best individual season.

Watkins has netted 19 times in the Premier League, adding 12 assists in the process, as Villa look to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1983, when it was still the European Cup.

The Birmingham club are also slated to face Greek giants Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals, with the first leg on Thursday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Watkins went for a spin with former Liverpool, Tottenham and England striker Peter Crouch on Around the Block to chat all things Villa - including his manager.

“He [Emery] doesn't really speak to me too much,” Watkins admitted.

“I had a really close relationship with my previous managers: Steven Gerrard, Thomas Frank, Dean Smith especially, where I felt like I could speak to them. Maybe it was a little bit too comfortable where I knew I was always going to play, sort of like a friendship."

On Emery, he continued: “He's definitely the boss. He hardly says things to me. But in the video meetings, he'll say ‘don't go there, don't do that, do this’ and it's just straightforward really.

“If he ever sees something that I shouldn't do, then he just says ‘don't do it’. It's that simple. And it's really helped me.”

Emery recently praised the mentality of Watkins, saying “his mentality is the best quality he has”, and pushed for him to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 this summer.

Watkins of course shares that desire and opened up about his aspirations for England duty at this summer’s tournament in Germany.

“When I've put on an England shirt, I've not done myself any harm,” the 28-year-old said.

“But there have been opportunities where I felt like I could have taken a little bit more. I feel like I could have done a little bit more, so I still have a lot to prove and I'm hungry to do that.

“But you know, that's what I'm fighting to do. I'm fighting to win the Golden Boot, Champions League, get in the Euro squad. Yeah, they're all the goals that I want to reach.

“I'm just pushing hard, working hard every day to try and achieve that and hopefully do something special.”

Another standout member of this Villa side is goalkeeper Emi Martinez, whose reputation as a solid keeper is rivalled by his reputation for being a menace to opposition players - particularly in penalty shoot-outs. Watkins has had a front-row seat to the Argentine’s antics.

“They want you to be a bit more humble and [show] good sportsmanship, but at the end of the day, he does whatever it takes to win," Watkins said.

“And I would not want to be going up against him in a penalty shoot-out.

“I think he's had five penalty shoot-outs and won all five, on big stages as well.

“As much as people say bad things about it, it definitely works and if I was a keeper I’d be doing the same thing.”

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.