Aston Villa: £33m star 'doesn't get same flak as Coutinho' at Villa Park

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins does not get as much flak as Philippe Coutinho because of how hard he works, claims journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Both players are out of form right now, but it is the latter who has come in for heavy criticism this season.

Not great. Watkins has scored just one goal in 10 outings this term, while Coutinho has not registered at all.

The former Barcelona man, who signed for Villa permanently in a £17m deal (via Sky Sports) during the summer, has not managed to record a single assist either.

It has led to criticism from ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who has been disappointed with what he has seen from his old team-mate in the 2022/23 campaign so far.

"He's a shadow of a player we know he is because it did not go well at Barcelona, but he is a million miles off it," Carragher recently said on Sky Sports (via MailOnline).

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Watkins has not faced the same kind of criticism Coutinho has had to deal with, and O'Rourke has put that down to the fact that the English striker works so hard up front by himself.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "Maybe he doesn't get as much flak as Coutinho because you can see the effort that Ollie Watkins is putting in.

"He is working hard for the team. It's a tough role as well when you're playing up there as a No.9 on your own. He's not got anybody up there. If Coutinho and [Emiliano] Buendia are both playing, he's leading the line on his own."

He certainly has the skill to. Since arriving at Villa Park back in 2020, Watkins has scored 28 goals in all competitions for the Midlands club.

In his debut season in claret and blue, Villa,