Ollie Watkins wants to start FA Cup semi-final after Unai Emery responds to ‘fuming’ claim

Watkins was replaced by Marcus Rashford against Man City after revealing he was ‘fuming’ to be left out against PSG

Watkins is hoping to be selected for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace (Getty Images)

Ollie Watkins believes Unai Emery has no problem with his decision to go public with his frustration about being benched for Aston Villa’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain and thinks his manager would be more concerned if he was happy with life on the bench.

The England striker said he was “fuming” and let Emery know how he disappointed he was to only get 20 minutes in the tie against the French champions.

Watkins returned to the Villa team to score in the first minute, hit the woodwork twice and set up a goal in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Newcastle before giving a post-match interview when he did not hide his irritation at his bit-part role.

Emery said then that they had “a good conversation” and that it was “fantastic to be angry” but picked Marcus Rashford ahead of Watkins for Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

But Watkins feels the Spaniard wants that type of attitude at Villa. He said: “I was just saying, from my point of view, every player wants to play and that's it. I think there'll probably be a worry if I said, ‘I'm happy to just sit on the bench and don't want to play’. I think I’d be getting a bit of backlash, so I just say it as it is.”

Watkins is hoping to start Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace but said it is hard to know who the unpredictable Emery will choose.

“We never know who's going to play,” he explained. “Sometimes the manager will tell us 30 minutes before we leave the hotel to head towards the stadium. He tells us the team then, so everyone just has to be prepared and you never know what's going to happen.”

Ollie Watkins believes Unai Emery is happy with him being angry at being left out of the team (PA Archive)

Villa are in their first FA Cup semi-final for a decade as they look to end a wait for a trophy that dates back to 1996.

“This is the furthest since I've been at the club we've got in the FA Cup,” Watkins added. “We've always gone out quite early doors and it's disappointing. I’ve been saying to the boys one thing I set my eyes on when I joined the club was winning a trophy.

“It’s been so long since the club has done that and that’s the main aim, so Saturday is massive, and we will be doing all we can to get to the final.”

Villa were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Palace and then lost 4-1 to Oliver Glasner’s team in the Premier League in February, while they were thrashed 5-0 at Selhurst Park last May.

And Watkins said: “Palace have been a bit of a bogey team for us, but on our day we’re capable of beating anyone. Just bring on the weekend, really.”