In better form than Kane - why Watkins is no longer being 'written off'

Watkins has ‘fire in the belly’

Watkins has scored 12 Premier League goals this season – not his greatest yield in a Villa shirt – but nine of those have come since he was left out of the March international camp.

Across all competitions, that number goes up to 11 – Kane has scored 10 in the same period – with his form extending to Villa’s run to the Europa League final.

His omission from that England squad has lit a fire in Watkins that perhaps would not have been there had he been included.

“I had a slow start to the season, picking up a few niggles on international duty and then being left out of the England squad,” he mentioned.

“I think it gave me that fire in my belly to come back and prove to people what I can do. A lot of people had written me off this season and I use that as motivation to show them that I can be back to my best – scoring and helping the team.”

Against Liverpool, he was unplayable at times as he continuously took advantage of their high line and found the space to run in behind.

He expressed disappointment after the win at not adding to his two-goal tally having had one goal chalked off for offside but his constant desire to get into goalscoring positions left the Reds faltering.

The icing on the cake for Watkins would be a performance like this one against against Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday, where Villa will look to win their first major trophy in 30 years.

‘Relentless’ Watkins has ‘got to be on the plane’

Since the last international break, no player has scored more Premier League goals than Watkins’ nine.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is second on that list with seven, while Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is the next best English player on five.

But, while Watkins may well be arguably England’s most in-form striker heading into the World Cup, realistically the spot everyone is vying for is the number one back-up position to captain Kane.

Ivan Toney has been in prolific form all season for Al-Ahli but playing in the Saudi Pro League means his numbers are difficult to directly compare with the other contenders.

Of the rest, Watkins’ 19 goals in all competitions puts him five ahead of both Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who returned to the England fold after a five-year exile in March, and Danny Welbeck, whose last cap was in 2018.

“He’s got to be on the plane,” former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie mentioned on Sky Sports when asked about Watkins’ chances of being included this summer. “Since being left out we’ve just seen a massive turning of the corner.

“He’s been relentless in front of goal, he’s shown his capabilities. He’s a totally different player to Harry Kane and gives them something different.”