Ollie Watkins has started the campaign slowlyplaceholder image
Ollie Watkins has started the campaign slowly | Getty Images
Ollie Watkins has scored one in 10 league matches so far this term, leading to reports that his England spot could be at risk
However, after scoring 16 league goals since the start of last season, it’s fair to say that Welbeck is now playing the best football of his professional career at the age of 34. He’s got six already in the league this term, which is five more than Watkins, who has been performing at nowhere near the heights that Aston Villa supporters have become accustomed to since his arrival from Brentford five years ago.
Could Ollie Watkins be dropped from the England squad?
Throughout Thomas Tuchel’s time as England boss, he’s often opted to select only two centre forwards in his squad. Harry Kane, who is England’s all-time leading scorer and captain, has been regarded as the first choice for around a decade and remains as formidable as ever after breaking numerous goal-scoring records in Germany.
Meanwhile, Watkins, who has regularly hit double figures or more in the league, has often been seen as the best deputy to Kane ahead of the likes of Ivan Toney, Dominic Solanke and in the past Callum Wilson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
However, Watkins is struggling to impact games in the same fashion as in years gone by. He’s not only struggling for goals after scoring just one, but is also yet to register an assist across all competitions which is another big part of his game.
His last outing came in a 2-0 defeat to champions Liverpool where he received a match rating of 6/10 after struggling to impact proceedings. It’s likely just a bad patch which most strikers go through during their career, but there’s no doubt that if this continues throughout the campaign, then the door will open for others such as Welbeck to usurp him in the pecking order.
Former Aston Villa scout shares Ollie Watkins verdict
Former Millwall and Coventry City goalkeeper Bryan King, who knows Aston Villa well from his time as a scout, says Ollie Watkins needs to play himself into form if he’s to hold on to his England spot. King believes Watkins isn’t enjoying his football in B6 as much as last season due to the loss of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, who were key players in the squad towards the end of last season.
He told Villa News: “He (Watkins) needs help up there, and the players that were up there with him last season aren’t there any more, the likes of (Marco) Asensio and (Marcus) Rashford.
“If you’re playing with quality, then it’s going to help you; you’re going to lift your game as well. Emery has got to keep playing him. That’s the only way he’s going to play his way into form. He’s almost scored more goals for England than he has for Villa this season. It all comes down to enjoying your football. At the moment, it doesn’t look as though he’s enjoying his football.”
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