On Saturday at a sun-kissed Bournemouth, Watkins guided Morgan Rogers’ low cross into the underside nook with a fragile, deft contact.
It was his sixteenth Premier League purpose of the season – no different Englishman has extra.
Longevity is vital. Watkins has scored a minimum of 10 league targets in all of his 5 seasons at Villa, serving to him transfer forward of Dwight Yorke, Dion Dublin and Juan Pablo Angel within the membership’s top-scorer charts.
“It is a massive achievement. some unbelievable gamers have performed for this membership,” Watkins advised BBC Match of the Day.
“You have a look at the names, so to be up there on the highest of that I am actually proud. It is nice achievement.”
This season, Watkins has needed to battle for a beginning place with Jhon Duran, who then moved to Saudi Arabian membership Al-Nassr for £71m in January, and Marcus Rashford, who joined on mortgage from Manchester United in the identical window.
Watkins had began every of Villa’s first 14 Premier League matches, however was restricted to 2 league begins and three substitute appearances in April, and did not begin both of Villa’s Champions League quarter-final matches in opposition to Paris St-Germain.
With Emery preferring Rashford within the beginning XI, hypothesis was rife that Watkins could go away Villa.
The membership had already rejected a £40m bid for the England worldwide from Arsenal in January.
However Rashford was dominated out for the remainder of the season final month with a hamstring harm and, since then, Watkins has returned up entrance to shine once more.
“He is proven his weight in gold,” former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie advised Sky Sports activities.
“It isn’t solely his targets, however his workforce play. He works onerous off the ball. He was chasing defenders within the final 5 minutes. He is at all times trying what he can do to have an effect on the sport – that simply exhibits how essential he’s.”
