100% Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins looks inevitable for England Euro 2024 call-up after Jeff Stelling claim.
After experiencing the best season of his life at Aston Villa under Unai Emery, Jeff Stelling has asked that Ollie Watkins board the plane for England before Euro 2024.
According to the renowned broadcaster, participating in the Europa Conference League with Villa will only improve his chances of being called up because he will get more experience playing at a higher level.
He did discuss the threat posed by Ivan Toney, a striker for Brentford, but he insisted that Gareth Southgate should stick with Watkins given his strong performance in his nine international matches.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [9 January, 07:57], Stelling gushed: “He’s in the form of his life, really. The other thing I think is important is he’s now getting experience playing in Europe with Villa, which could come in useful when you’re playing against European teams in the European Championships.
“He’s better than ever, this is the best season of his life. I know people will look at Ivan Toney, but Toney would have to come with a real rattle in the second half of the season I think to take the place on the plane off of Ollie Watkins.
Since Gareth Southgate is known for being a loyal man, I doubt it would happen even if he did. Watkins has made a fresh impression on the squad, and I think he’s here to stay.
When Stelling claims that Watkins is going through the best time of his life, he is not overstating the case. He has nine goals and eight assists in 20 Premier League games this season, putting him in a position to score at least fifteen of each come summer and all but guarantee a spot in the England squad.
The striker has been the standout during a successful season so far at Villa Park, and his performances in recent Premier League clashes with Burnley, Manchester United and Brentford prove how crucial he is.
In that 3-2 victory against Burnley, Watkins provided two assists, picked up three key passes, won three of his four aerial duels and made a clearance as he displayed how impressive his all-round game has become while developing under Emery’s guidance. [Sofascore]
The game against Manchester United, in which Villa let a 2-0 lead slip, served as more proof of the striker’s remarkable ability even in the absence of a goal. He demonstrated his abilities with three successful dribbles, three wins out of five ground duels, eight participations in aerial duels, and a perfect long pass accuracy rate.
In addition, his most recent Premier League goal against Brentford was the product of yet another outstanding performance, demonstrating why he has to be on the plane for the Euros with a goal, one major chance created, a 100% success rate in aerial duels, a clearing, and a tackle.
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