Ollie Watkins remains optimistic about his chances of making the England World Cup squad, despite his exclusion from last month’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. The Aston Villa striker believes that his best contribution in the coming weeks is to keep finding the back of the net.
Watkins, who has represented England 20 times and was part of the squad at Euro 2024, was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man selection for the Wembley matches after experiencing a prolonged slump in front of goal this season.
However, since the announcement of the squad, he has bounced back, scoring four goals in his last four matches, including a landmark 100th goal for Villa during their 4-0 Europa League win over Bologna on Thursday.
When asked how he could force his way back into the England setup, the 30-year-old told TNT Sports: “I just need to keep scoring goals.”
“That’s all I can focus on. Of course, I was disappointed not to be in the last squad, but I understand the reasons behind Tuchel’s decision.”
“My job now is to let my performances on the pitch speak for themselves and aim to score as many goals as possible before the season wraps up.”
England will face New Zealand and Costa Rica in warm-up matches in June as part of their preparations for the World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Their Group L campaign kicks off on June 17 against Croatia in Dallas, followed by fixtures against Ghana on June 23 and Panama four days later.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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