‘Other side of his game’: Heskey raves about Aston Villa star after Arsenal win

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Ollie Watkins’ superb start to Premier League life continued against Arsenal, and Emile Heskey was full of praise for Aston Villa’s record signing, while speaking exclusively to HITC.

Eyebrows were certainly raised when Villa invested £28 million over the summer in a man who had never played at a higher level than the Championship.

But, just three years since he was strutting his stuff at Exeter City, Watkins is taking to life in the top flight like the proverbial duck to water, giving Dean Smith the clinical centre-forward he has been crying out for since Tammy Abraham’s loan spell came to an end in May 2019.

A month on from that iconic hat-trick in the 7-2 triumph over Liverpool, Watkins inspired another unexpected thrashing of a bona fide Premier League giant on Sunday.

After Bukayo Saka gave Aston Villa a first-half lead at the Emirates, Watkins turned on the style in North London, heading home a pinpoint Ross Barkley cross before sliding in his second of the night following a masterful Jack Grealish assist.

“(Arsenal) were unable to deal with the likes of Jack Grealish, who can glide past players. Barkley’s intelligence to link up was great and Watkins’ pace was a threat all the time,” Heskey, himself a former Villa number nine, told HITC.

It wasn’t just Watkins’ clinical finishing that caught the eye, however.

Time and again, he bullied Arsenal defenders Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes with the sort of strength, aerial ability and bruising hold-up play that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a converted winger.

But Heskey wasn’t surprised to see a player who honed his talents in the thistles and the reeds of the lower leagues do the dirty work with such relish.

“Because he’s come from the lower leagues, that is normal and it’s natural for him. If you don’t do that (in the Football League), your manager will bring you off,” Heskey added.

“People look at him and say ‘wow’, but that’s normal for him to put his body where he knows he can steal the ball, to put his head where he knows it hurts, to chase lost causes – that’s normal for him because he’s come from those lower leagues.

“But now he’s showing the other side of his game, the cute finishes, he always stays in the box to score goals, he gets his shots off and he’s creating chances for others. He’s been a breath of fresh air.”