Ollie Watkins is enjoying the “best moment” of his Aston Villa career and will bid to keep his scoring run going against former club Brentford.
The England striker netted twice in last weekend’s excellent 3-0 victory over Newcastle to make it 11 goals in his last 12 games.
It was Villa’s fifth win in a row and lifted them up to sixth in the Premier League, continuing the upward trajectory they have maintained since Unai Emery took over as boss in October.
Watkins said on avfc.co.uk: “I’m loving it, there’s no denying it – all the boys are. Since the new manager has come in, we couldn’t have made a better start. I’m really enjoying it, working hard and trying to keep the momentum going.
“I’m trying to keep doing what I’m doing: scoring goals, assisting and helping the team to win and keep clean sheets.
“All around it’s going really well. It’s probably the best moment since I’ve been at the club. We’ve got seven games to go and I’m trying to score a lot more goals.”
Watkins has now equalled his highest tally of goals for a Premier League season with 14 and his form will be key to Villa’s hopes of securing European football next season.
The 27-year-old has particular reason to look forward to Saturday’s trip to London having played nearly 150 games for Brentford before signing for Villa in September 2020.
He said: “It’s going to be a tough game because they’re doing really well, especially with their home form.
“It shouldn’t go unnoticed that up until recently they’d only lost one game at home. It’s going to be a difficult place to go. They’re a good team, well organised, and I know them very well, obviously.
“It’s going to be enjoyable and nice to see a few old faces, but the main objective is to go there and get three points.”
Watkins signed a five-year deal on joining the club, and his brilliant form has prompted a lot of talk about the prospect of him agreeing a new contract.
Emery told a press conference that contract talk would have to wait until the end of the season, saying: “We can’t stop now for some individual circumstances with their contracts. We have left only one month, seven matches, and we will have time to decide individually each situation.”
