Ollie Watkins remains optimistic about earning a spot in England’s World Cup squad, despite being omitted from last month’s friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan. The Aston Villa striker believes that his focus in the closing weeks of the season should be on scoring goals.
Watkins, who has represented England 20 times and was part of the squad for Euro 2024, wasn’t chosen in Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man lineup for the Wembley matches after encountering prolonged difficulties in front of goal throughout the season.
However, since the squad announcement, he has regained his scoring form, finding the net four times in his last four outings, including his milestone 100th goal for Villa during their 4-0 Europa League victory over Bologna on Thursday.
When asked about how he might 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. I felt disappointed not to be included in the last squad, but I understand Tuchel’s reasoning behind it.”
“I need to let my performances on the pitch speak for themselves and aim to score as many goals as possible as the season draws to a close.”
England will prepare for the World Cup with warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica in June, ahead of the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
They kick off their Group L campaign on June 17 against Croatia in Dallas, followed by matches against Ghana on June 23 and Panama four days later.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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