11 goals in his last 14 games - has Ollie Watkins played his way into England's World Cup squad? | OneFootball

Ollie Watkins was in superb form again for Aston Villa last night as they beat Liverpool 4-2, which has secured Champions League football for the club, and which might well have revived the striker’s World Cup hopes with England.

Watkins is on a run of 11 goals in his last 14 games in all competitions for Villa, having responded brilliantly to a dip in form earlier in the campaign.

While it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to start over Harry Kane for England this summer, there’s surely a role for Watkins in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, perhaps as a super sub or rotation option.

First, the 30-year-old’s focus will be on winning the Europa League with Villa, and any fans looking to get to that game will no doubt be searching for how to buy Europa League final tickets as time’s ticking fast to make it to that big game.

If Watkins can have an impact again in that match against Freiburg, there’s surely no argument that he shouldn’t be on the plane to North America this summer.

How Ollie Watkins turned his season around

Watkins finished with 17 goals in all competitions last season, down from 27 the year before, but he’s already on 19 for this campaign, with two more games still to play.

A lot of that is down to his late-season comeback, as he’d previously been on a run of just one goal in 12 games before his current 11-in-14 hot streak.

At one point, there was even speculation about Watkins leaving and being a target for Everton, though there’s now surely no chance of Unai Emery being open to letting him go.

Speaking after last night’s win over Liverpool, John McGinn suggested that missing out on the last England squad had perhaps motivated Watkins to get back to his best to try to win his place back.

“We’re so fortunate to have him, what he’s done for this club the past few seasons has been incredible. I think he may have just snuck his way onto that plane.”

Other striker options could include Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke, and perhaps even Ivan Toney.

The likes of Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen can also operate up front, but tend to play more out wide, so there may well be a gap there for Watkins as the competition arguably isn’t that great.