Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa shoots whilst surrounded by players of Manchester United during the Premier League match between United and Villa at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025
Ollie Watkins has been linked with a move to Manchester United
A year ago Ollie Watkins was the toast of the country after slamming in a last-minute winner to take England to the final of Euro 2024.
His driven strike into the far corner earned a 2-1 win over the Netherlands and gave the Three Lions a shot at ending their near 60-year wait for glory.
12 months on, and Watkins has fallen down the pecking order for club and country.
He has not played for England in 2025, although injury ruled him out of the most recent camp, while he lost his spot at Aston Villa to loanee Marcus. Ironically it's United who could offer Watkins a lifeline - and striker could do likewise for the Reds.
He may be 29 and he may be valued at £60million - a figure that would surely need to be reduced for United to step in and do a deal - but he is a proven Premier League goalscorer with the attributes Ruben Amorim wants from his central striker.
Rasmus Hojlund has failed to convince in the past two seasons and the Dane would benefit from time out of the limelight, while Joshua Zirkzee was never an out-and-out frontman and is more suited to a number 10 role.
Watkins offers the perfect mix of a willing runner, goalscoring instincts and an ability to lead a line. His athleticism and finishing mark him out while his aerial ability is far better than he is given credit for and ranks him among the league's best for headers won.
The former Brentford man is also a willing presser, a hard worker and an intelligent footballer. He knows when to press and when to wait, when to exploit space and when to time his effort, when to strike and when to come short.
When he was coming through the ranks at Exeter, his then-teammate Jacob Butterfield used to talk to him about Cristiano Ronaldo and how to isolate defenders. Watkins listened and learned, a theme of his career from a non-league spell at Weston-Super-Mare as recently as 2018, to international duty.
His preparation is meticulous and his desire to improve has impressed countless coaches and teammates. Amorim wants hungry players who are capable of slotting into his system and Watkins fits the bill.
United cannot and should not be paying the £60m Villa have as a valuation given his age and the relative lack of re-sale value, but if the Reds can drive that figure down then bringing in a talent such as Watkins seems a natural move.
He's the right side of 30 and has the ability to hit the ground running. United have moved for potential as much as the present with many of their signings under Ineos but if the Reds are to move the dial and secure a return to the upper echelons of the Premier League, they have to focus on the here and now.
And here and now Watkins offers what United want.
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