Gary Lineker now makes big Ollie Watkins plea amid ‘telepathic’ Aston Villa claim

After becoming the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach the 10+ goals and 10+ assists milestone, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has received an abundance of praise for his performance against Sheffield United.The 28-year-old scored his 11th goal of the Premier League season and claimed two assists, to take his contribution tally to 21 this term.Speaking on BBC Match of the Day after the Villans’ five-star showing at Bramall Lane, pundit Jermaine Jenas branded the talisman as a “different class”, and he wasn’t the only figure to comment on the individual brilliance.

Gary Lineker shares interesting Ollie Watkins verdict

Jenas went on to describe Watkins’ partnership with Douglas Luiz as “telepathic”, praising the striker’s movement to consistently create chances for his side.“Every time he picks up the ball, Douglas Luiz, Ollie Watkins is just off. He knows exactly what the midfield man wants to do. I think like there’s some lovely sides to Ollie Watkins’ game.”

Jenas’ high rating of the forward was echoed by Gary Lineker, who spoke highly of the £130k-a-week Villa ace’s rankings ahead of the European Championship this summer.Speaking with reference to Gareth Southgate’s prized marksman, Harry Kane, Lineker stated that Watkins has “got to be number two” to the Bayern Munich talisman at the tournament.It seems that the striker’s form is developing at a crucial time, with the disappointment of missing out on the 2022 World Cup being an element of motivation for the 28-year-old in preparation for the Euros.

How Ollie Watkins compares to other England strikers this season

In Qatar, the likes of Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson were favoured to support Kane in Southgate’s squad, with a reshuffle of personnel expected this summer.While the £86m former Tottenham striker has already netted 24 goals in the Bundesliga this season, his 2022 World Cup counterparts have shown less admirable form, leaving Watkins as the current favourite to be his number two.With seven goals in the Premier League this term, 31-year-old Wilson has outscored Rashford who has only scored five so far, with the Villa ace scoring just one less goal in the league than the duo combined (11).

What is notable is that despite his excellence under Unai Emery, the reliable forward is not the highest-scoring Englishman in the league at present, with Dominic Solanke leading the race with 13 goals for Bournemouth.Theoretically, Watkins should have made things easy for Southgate in terms of thoughts for selection ahead of the tournament, although his omission from the squad in recent times leaves some anxiety there with still a lot to play for in the 2023/24 calendar.

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