Widespread mockery of Unai Emery over Al-Hilal's anticipated deal

His team suffered a crushing defeat

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery became a subject of mockery after making a strange comment in his interview before his side's opening match against Brighton.

Brighton hammered their visitors 4-0 when the two sides met in the Premier League.

According to "The Sun", the Spanish manager was asked about the absence of Ollie Watkins, who is linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, from the line-up. He responded with "silence" in an extremely strange scene, and social media wasted no time mocking him.

Whatever calm Emery felt before kick-off had vanished by half-time. His team trailed 4-0 and were down to 10 players.

Al-Hilal moved a new step closer to sealing the deal for the Englishman Ollie Watkins, the Aston Villa striker, after the player was left out of his team's squad for today's match against Brighton, amid the continuation of negotiations with the Saudi club during the final hours of the summer transfer window.

Al-Hilal's strength comes from a prior agreement with Watkins on personal terms. The 30-year-old striker has expressed his agreement to move to the ranks of "the Boss", making Aston Villa's approval the main obstacle to completing the deal.