According to The Telegraph, Johan Lange is a big fan of Brentford boss Thomas Frank as Aston Villa look for a replacement for Dean Smith.
It seems as though Frank could be a candidate, and that is an exciting prospect for a number of reasons.
Not only is Frank a fantastic tactician, but he already knows how to get the best out of one Aston Villa player – Ollie Watkins.
Indeed, Watkins scored 25 Championship goals under Frank back in 2019/20 and the Danish manager has even gone as far as to compare Watkins to Cristiano Ronaldo.
What’s been said?
Frank has compared Watkins to Ronaldo in the past due to his ability to play on the wings and up front.
“It’s a big comparison so I don’t want to go down that route but, in a way, I’ve mentioned it now. He’s like a Ronaldo-type, that he can play as a nine or he can play to the side, or he can play as a 10, but because he’s so versatile he has abilities you can benefit off in all positions,” Frank said.
“Then it’s about getting the best out of him and the team. It’s not like he’s the main man, but how can we get the two, three, four best players we have in the best possible positions to make it click?
“At this moment in time, I think he’s the most natural nine we have, that’s why it makes sense to play him there. If we still had Neal we’d play Neal there and then we’d play him in another position.”
Could be brilliant
If Villa appoint Frank, then it’s fair to say that Watkins could be fantastic under him.
Watkins was already brilliant under Dean Smith, but Frank has shown during their time together at Brentford that he knows how to get the best out of him.
Interestingly, Frank says that the forward can also play on the wing, and with Danny Ings also in the squad, we may see Watkins out wide if he re-united with his former boss.
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