"For me, he is unbelievable," Ollie Watkins told BBC Sport this week when asked about head coach Unai Emery. "He has seen me when I've been at my best and at my worst, but I've had all of my best moments under this manager.
"Some of the best moments of this club have come through…" – the striker, importantly, briefly paused here – "… me, some of my moments. He has a lot of faith in me."
I think it is only fair to report that Watkins slightly caught his breath while saying that. It was as if he suddenly realised that it might look immodest in print.
For a player not usually given to overtly strutting about, it was an arresting statement. Helpfully, it had the benefit of being the truth – a point which he proved twice at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
It matters because there have been times this season when it started to look as though the juice in Watkins' game was running a little dry.
He was still working as earnestly as ever but, when the chances came, there was a hint of hesitation, of overthinking, of a blunting of the edge that made him stand out previously.
There was no time to overthink when the ball fell to him twice in the second half against Bologna, though. The edge was back against West Ham United before the break, when he reacted to score a rebound goal, and it was there after Emi Buendia’s harrying of Torbjorn Heggem forced a chance and Bologna’s malfunction at a corner presented another.
Emery was happy to once again confirm his faith in the striker: "Watkins is a fighter. He is always playing well because he is always doing his task and working for the team."
His team-mates confirmed it too by their gesture of allowing the goalscorer to stand alone in front of the Aston Villa fans, before they engulfed him, and again at full-time when they insisted he led their curtain call.
When Tammy Abraham is fully up to speed, it will help to ease the burden on Watkins, especially with Emery's requirements in that position. Abraham can be confident Emery will get him to that standard over time, just as he has done with Watkins and many other players he has inherited.
Watkins' next goal will be his 100th for Villa – a milestone not often achieved in modern times and he need not be shy of being proud of it.
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