'It's a crime!' - Unai Emery blasted for 'putting Ollie Watkins up for sale' with Aston Villa striker dropped for Marcus Rashford again in trip to Man City

Some Aston Villa supporters were left perplexed after they saw the team sheet featuring Marcus Rashford as No.9 in the starting lineup for their Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Tuesday. Emery picked the Manchester United loanee over Ollie Watkins, which fuelled speculation the England international might be sold in the summer.

Fans took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to voice their opinions.

A fan named @lnvincibles04 said: "Watkins must be out the door in the summer lmao."

An X user with the handle @publad wrote: "Can’t help but feel bad for Watkins man, he really deserves a start :("

@Del_Monte20 wrote: "He’s basically putting Watkins up for sale. First Duran and now Rashford…. OW will come on but in Unai we trust."

@nffc999 added: "Dropping Watkins for Rashford is a crime. Watkins must be fuming."

@AlexMcCatty posted: "Watkins is leaving no doubt! Let's enjoy him whilst he's here and hope he comes on to break the record."

Watkins gave a furious post-match interview after Villa's 4-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday, in which he scored after only one minute, after being left out of Unai Emery's starting lineup for both legs against PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Villans will aim to get all three points against Pep Guardiola's side as they continue pushing for a top-five finish and secure a Champions League spot for a second consecutive season.