Ollie Watkins surely earns England call-up ahead of Ivan Toney with Aston Villa displays
Ollie Watkins’ recent sparkling form for Aston Villa has surely landed him a place in the England squad for the upcoming European Championships despite doubts over his selection.
The striker has now picked up six combined goals and assists across his last five games in all competitions since the last international break and has surely proved his worth to Gareth Southgate.
Jeff Stelling insisted the Villa star must be on the plane to Germany with the squad this summer, as Ally McCoist revealed he would now tip Watkins to go ahead of Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [22 April], Stelling shared: “He is on that plane, he’s probably flying the thing. He is certainly on that plane. He’s been absolutely brilliant.”
McCoist then continued: “I must admit maybe four or five weeks ago, I thought that Ivan Toney might just have been ahead of him, I don’t think that now though.”
Ollie Watkins to pip Ivan Toney to England spot after Aston Villa performances
Watkins picked up two assists last time out against Bournemouth as he continued to prove his worth in Unai Emery’s side, with those assists coming from both of his key passes in the game while a 90 per cent pass accuracy was a further display of his creative abilities. [Sofascore]
On top of that, the striker won 50 per cent of his aerial duels and 33 per cent of ground duels, winning one foul to drag his team further up the pitch.
Overall this season, Watkins has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League, averaging 3.0 shots per game at a conversion rate of 19 per cent, while averaging 1.3 key passes per game and a 77 per cent pass accuracy.
Toney, meanwhile, has missed a large percentage of this season due to off-field controversies, but since his return has found the net just four times and has gone without a goal in any of his last eight appearances for Brentford. [Sofascore]
His last start came in a 0-0 draw with Brentford in which he failed to score, hitting the target with just one of his two attempts, while recording a 75 per cent pass accuracy and winning just 33 per cent of his duels in a disappointing display.
If Southgate has to choose between the two when England squad selection day arrives, Watkins’ recent form, particularly in comparison to Toney’s, should be enough to land him a place on the plane – with the likes of Stelling and McCoist also backing his bid.
In other Aston Villa news, Jhon Duran will not be happy after the latest Unai Emery development.
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