Ollie Watkins decision out of his hands in summer as Aston Villa frustration spotted on pitch
Don Goodman believes the form of Brentford striker Ivan Toney could determine if Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins is part of England’s Euro 2022 squad.
Watkins has been in scintillating form for the Villans this campaign, having scored 16 goals and assisted 10 more in 29 Premier League appearances.
However, the 28-year-old did not make the most of his opportunity when playing a full part for England in their 1-0 friendly defeat to Brazil on Saturday (23 March).
And Goodman believes it may well be a shootout between Watkins and Toney – who has four goals in 10 league games for Brentford this term – as to who Gareth Southgate picks as Harry Kane’s likely back-up.
“Whether he will be involved in Germany in the summer depends on a lot of things, such as Ivan Toney and how well he does,” Goodman told Villa News. “Can Watkins maintain his form? It then ultimately depends on Gareth Southgate.
“Watkins is one I felt for in the recent loss to Tottenham. As a former striker I was looking at the positions he was getting in and he was frustrated a lot of the time.
“He was in goalscoring positions and not seen, or the final pass didn’t make it through to him. I was impressed with his movement despite being part of a collectively poor performance.”
Aston Villa players called up for international duty
Asked if Unai Emery would rather players not be called up by their country, Goodman said: “I think he would like to answer that question afterwards, once the players have returned injury-free or otherwise.
“It’s only once a player is back in training that a manager can learn the impact of the players who have gone away with their countries.
“But for a football club that’s not a Manchester City, not an Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United – who for years and years and years most of their players go off on international duty – that hasn’t been the case for Aston Villa.
“So to have a player do so well that he’s picked for one of the best national teams in the world, and not only represent England but Aston Villa as well, you have to be grateful for that.”
Who will Gareth Southgate pick in England’s Euro 2024 squad?
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will arguably be the first name on the squad list, and then it is a case of how many like-for-like replacements Southgate wants.
Watkins offers more than just goals, as highlighted by his growing assists tally, but he is unlikely to be shoehorned out wide given England’s other options in those areas.
If it is going to be one of two between Watkins and Toney, it is surely a no-brainer to select the former? Toney has proved what he is capable of in the Premier League, but Watkins is on a different level right now.
The friendly with Brazil at Wembley may actually have hampered Watkins’ hopes slightly, as he failed to do much of note in the injury absence of Kane.
The meeting with Belgium on Tuesday (26 March) provides another opportunity to do so, and hopefully it is one he is able to this time take full advantage of if selected.
In other Aston Villa news, Ian Wright needed one word to sum up what he has seen from Leon Bailey.
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