Emile Heskey believes one Premier League striker ‘could be even better’ than Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland.
Haaland was considered one of the most best strikers in the world before his arrival at Man City and has only enhanced his reputation over the past two years.
He scored a remarkable 52 goals in his first 12 months at the Etihad Stadium and bagged another 38 last season to help Manchester City win a historic treble and end their wait for a Champions League trophy.
Despite Haaland’s extraordinary goalscoring exploits, Heskey says Aston Villa and England star Ollie Watkins ‘could be even better’ than the Norwegian.
Watkins enjoyed three consistent seasons at Villa before taking his game to a new level last term, scoring 27 goals in all competitions to help Unai Emery’s side qualify for the Champions League.
Gareth Southgate included Watkins in England’s squad for Euro 2024 following the striker’s impressive performances and while he hardly featured out in Germany due to the presence of all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane, he did come off the bench to score a famous winner in the semi-final win over the Netherlands.
‘I think Aston Villa have got the best striker in the Premier League after Erling Haaland in Ollie Watkins,’ Heskey told 10bet.
‘There’s an argument to be made that Watkins could be on par or even better than Haaland at this moment in time because of his all-round game and what he gives Aston Villa on top of the goals that he scores.
‘At Man City, Haaland doesn’t really need to get that involved with the play, whereas Watkins has to be involved all the time at Villa.’
In his first season at Manchester City, Haaland broke the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League campaign with 36.
The 24-year-old looks set to threaten that record this season, already sitting on ten goals after just seven games having netted back-to-back hat-tricks in August.
Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League, three points above an Aston Villa side who have also enjoyed a promising start to the campaign.
Villa sealed a famous victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier in the month and Heskey, who played for the club, has backed them to win a trophy this season.
‘Unai Emery has got a phenomenal record in terms of winning trophies, especially cups,’ said Heskey, who scored 110 goals in 516 Premier League appearances.
‘I have been really impressed with everything that he has achieved at Aston Villa in such a short space of time, especially after he was ridiculed after his spell managing Arsenal, which I think was really unfair on him.
‘At Aston Villa, we’ve seen the real Unai Emery. We’ve seen the results of the meticulous work that goes on behind-the-scenes in terms of structure and how they play.
‘Villa are potent going forward, but they’re also an incredibly difficult team to break down.
‘I really like the recruitment at Villa with Emery and Monchi. Morgan Rogers has been a revelation since he joined the club.
‘The kids obviously got good pedigree as he started his career in Manchester City’s academy, but he’s been given a chance in this Villa team and has really grabbed it.
‘Can Emery win a trophy at Villa? I think that he can and, hopefully he can do it within the next couple of seasons.’
One of Aston Villa’s most influential players this season has been Jhon Duran, who has scored six goals in ten games despite often starting on the bench.
Heskey has been hugely impressed by the Colombian’s form and is unconcerned by reports he could attract interest from rival clubs ahead of the January transfer window.
‘Jhon Duran has been sensational this season,’ the former England striker added. ‘He’s making an impression every single time he comes onto the pitch.
‘I can’t see him leaving. I can’t see a situation where Aston Villa would entertain offers for him.
‘At the end of the day, why would Aston Villa want to sell such a prized asset? He’s only twenty and he’s going to get better and better.
‘I don’t think Duran will be going anywhere in January. There were rumours about a departure in the summer.
‘Chelsea were looking at him, West Ham too. I even think Arsenal may have been interested, but he stuck around, and you have to give Unai Emery credit for keeping him hungry and focused.
‘Young players can have their heads turned easily, but Emery has demonstrated to him that the future is bright at Aston Villa, and he can play a big part in that.
‘He’s made a massive impact off the bench. He’ll get his chance to start in games because there’s a lot of football for Villa to play between now and the end of the season.’
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