Emery warns Ollie Watkins he faces a fight for his Aston Villa starting spot

Unai Emery has warned Ollie Watkins that he is no longer Aston Villa's undisputed No. 1 striker despite his recent form with England.

Watkins was one of the Premier League's most lethal strikers during Emery's tenure and was chosen ahead of Harry Kane for England's Nations League win in Greece this month.

At Villa, however, Watkins is facing his own challenge from Jhon Duran. Watkins has been substituted six times between the 60th and 70th minutes this season, and Duran has scored eight goals in all competitions to Watkins' five, although the Colombian has not scored in the Premier League since September 21.

“Every player has to understand the process we have,” said Emery, whose side played Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

“Watkins is very important to us, but some circumstances can change. We build a team with two players for each position.

'Watkins must quickly accept his new position and adapt, playing in the same way as last year, with his quality and ability. I don't want just one player to be confident, get minutes and score goals. I want every player to have the same mentality.'

Emery pointed out that without Duran's contributions, Villa could be much worse off early in the season. Despite losing their past two league games, Villa remain firmly in Champions League contention.

Duran was decisive in wins over West Ham, Leicester and Everton after coming on as Watkins struggled to find top form after playing in the 2024 European Championship.

Emery added: “Watkins needed time to get fit and confident again. He hasn't done the entire preseason.

'We needed Duran to score goals in the last thirty minutes of the games.

“If Duran didn't help as much as he does now, we might not have the points we have now. The team, the squad, the commitment to help – these are the most important things.”