Owen Hargreaves has compared Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins to Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min.
Aston Villa trashed West Ham United 4-1 on Sunday, with Ollie Watkins scoring a crucial third goal for his side with a devastating left-footed thunderbolt from a tight angle.
Even though Villa’s thriving number nine is right-footed, he showcased his worth with his weaker foot, as Hargreaves thinks that Tottenham’s all-action forward, Son Heung-min is ‘the best player in the Premier League’ when shooting on his weaker side.
But he thinks that the Spurs man has a contender in Ollie Watkins, as he stated that he is ‘so comfy’ to go down his weaker side, as he told Premier League Productions (22/10/23 at 6:50 pm).
It has been an incredible start to the new Premier League campaign for the England international.
The 27-year-old, who recently signed a new contract at the club, has five goals and five assists from his nine Premier League games (transfermarkt).
If James Maddison or Son Heung-min thought that they have made a strong start, well, Ollie Watkins could argue that he has been better.
Either way, he received his flowers from former Manchester United midfielder Hargreaves yesterday.
Ollie Watkins and Son Heung-min
“You know what that reminded me of? That reminded me of Son,” said Hargreaves. “I think Son is the best player in the Premier League with both feet. Finishing with both feet.
“That was Son. Clean. Step over. Bang! Top of the net. We have seen a lot of players be one-footed, coming in on the right.
“But Watkins doesn’t need to really worry about that. He made that harder by going left, but actually, because he is so comfy, even going to his left side, it makes it really difficult for the defender.”
Aston Villa flying
Unai Emery has done a remarkable job at the club and deserves huge credit for turning around a team that was hovering above the Premier League’s relegation zone under Steven Gerrard.
It’s nearly a year since Villa brought in the European trophy-winning manager, and despite that previous spell at Arsenal, he is more than proving his worth now.
In fact, outside of Arsenal, his career in the dugout has been quite outstanding and this is the best chance Villa have of returning to the Champions League.
It’s still early days in the season, but if fifth spot is a Champions League spot and Villa end the season on a high, like they did last term, then they have a serious chance of re-joining the elite.
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