Garth Crooks told Final Score on BBC One that ‘one area’ where Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins can improve his game is his finishing.
On Saturday, Watkins netted his tenth goal of the Premier League season when Villa secured a deserved 1-0 win against Arsenal.
After going through a dry spell where the ball wasn’t hitting the back of the net for the Englishman, he has now scored four goals from his past five matches.
When former Spurs hitman Crooks was praising Watkins for his link-up and off-the-ball play, he shared a pretty harsh criticism of his finishing.
“I think his link-up play is improving,” said Crooks. “I think his runs are outstanding, for me.
“He shifts people in and around the box. He moves defenders into uncomfortable positions.
“The one area I think he might be able to improve on is his finishing. He scores today, it’s a scruffy goal, who cares you might say. They all count.
“But I think if he can actually make better contact with the ball, a better strike with the ball then I’ll think he will get a better ratio of goals. And that’s something you can fix on the training pitch.”
Scruffy or not, Watkins has been sensational in a Villa shirt this season and he is proving that the future is bright for the Exeter City academy product.
Even if the Brentford man hits 15 Premier League goals this season then he is more than paying that big-money price tag back that those in the Villa Park boardroom paid to Brentford for his services.
The best thing about Watkins is that when he was struggling to find the back of the net, he was still producing Man of the Match displays, which proves the complete package he can bring to the table.
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