Martin Keown is now worried about struggling Aston Villa star who ‘needs better players around him’

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Aston Villa remain the only team in the top seven divisions of English football not to score this season, and former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes he knows how to get them scoring.

Villa have drawn two and lost two of their four Premier League fixtures so far and sit second-bottom of the table.

Unai Emery’s side take on Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night having already lost at the Gtech Stadium in the league this season.

Reflecting on Villa’s early campaign struggles, Keown said Emery must formulate a better plan to involve striker Ollie Watkins.

Martin Keown tells Aston Villa to help Ollie Watkins, says he’s ‘surviving on scraps’

Speaking on TalkSPORT, ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown told Aston Villa to get more support and pace around striker Ollie Watkins.

“They don’t have that power in the final third. They don’t have that pace,” Keown said. “They’ve got [Emi] Buendia coming to feet now, playing in a wide position.

“They don’t seem to have the pace to get around Watkins. The managers have said they need to help Ollie Watkins.

“But Ollie Watkins is surviving on scraps right now, Jim. There’s no one really around him. He needs better players around him.”

Martin Keown names five players Aston Villa have lost who have weakened Unai Emery’s side

Going further, Keown listed the players who Aston Villa have sold or lost in the last two seasons, and been unable to replace.

“They only lost [Jacob] Ramsey this time around, but they obviously lost [Jhon] Duran,” the pundit said. [Moussa] Diaby and [Douglas] Luiz went at the start of that season, so that has impacted them. To be honest, I’m [also] looking at [Leon] Bailey going on loan [to Roma].”

Villa added Evann Guessand to the squad this summer and they also signed Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho on deadline day on loan.

Sancho would solve the pace issue, but has not played all summer so may not be able to inject more life into the attack immediately.