Ollie Watkins proved once again why he is one of the best players in the Premier League right now following Aston Villa’s 3-2 win at Luton Town on Saturday.
Aston Villa’s man of the moment netted a brace and took his Premier League goals tally to 16 for the season.
Alan Shearer was asked if Ollie Watkins is on the plane for England ahead of Euro 2024 and he brilliantly responded by saying, ‘his bags are packed, he has got his boarding pass, the lot’, as he told Match of the Day.
Gareth Southgate is seriously blessed with the attacking talent he can pick from and he would be beyond crazy not to include Aston Villa’s star man now.
Just like he did with Nottingham Forest the week before, he toyed with Luton’s defence and caused them no end of problems over the weekend.
Every time the team attack, it seems as though he is involved in everything, including Lucas Digne’s crucial winning goal.
That’s why Alan Shearer was keen to point out that ‘every part of Ollie Watkins’ game is magnificent’ and how he just simply having ‘fun’ out there.
Ollie Watkins at Euro 2024
“He is having the season of his life,” said Shearer. “He is in the form where, as a forward, you go out on the pitch, not hoping to score, you are expecting to score. That is a great feeling to have.
“From start to finish, he ran the Luton defence ragged. That was the sign, I am going to run in behind and I am going to run you and run you again, that’s exactly what he did.
“He scored from a corner that he got. Free in the box, no one with him. It’s a good ball in, he attacks it really well and it’s a wonderful header. His hold-up play and link-up play was excellent also. Every part of his game, I thought, was magnificent.
On his second goal: “Just have a look at this touch with his left foot, the way he puts in perfectly onto his right foot. He then has the full view of the goal and can whip it past the goalkeeper. That is incredible, the touch and finish is just sublime – he is just having fun out there – and he also plays a part in his winning goal.
“16 league goals. Best season. Incredible – he’s on the plane (for England)? His bags are packed, he has got his boarding pass, the lot.”
Ollie Watkins’ numbers
This is the former Brentford man’s best season to date and there is still plenty of football yet to be played.
In the Premier League, he has 16 goals, and there is no reason why he doesn’t hit 20+, not forgetting his ten assists.
In all competitions, he is on 21, and that’s after not playing regularly in Europe, but with the knockout rounds now upon us, all of that will now change.
All in all, he can, in every way, hit close to, if not beyond, 40 plus goals in all competitions this season, that’s if the team do what we expect and that’s finish in the top four and win the Conference League.
