Ollie Watkins has been left out of England’s EURO 2020 squad, as reported by Birmingham Mail.
Despite enjoying a fruitful debut Premier League season, Gareth Southgate has elected to go with Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Marcus Rashford as his centre-forward options [BBC].
Generally speaking, the 25-year-old can count himself extremely unlucky not to have made the final cut. Arriving from then second-tier Brentford in the summer of 2020, Watkins went on to post an outstanding 16 goals from 40 outings in all competitions [Transfermarkt], with 14 of those coming in the league.
Having diverse striking options is paramount at a major international tournament. The capability Watkins has in regard to stretching defences, working tirelessly off the ball, and sniffing out opportunities, probably should have been rewarded with a place in the 26-man roster.
As you can imagine, plenty Villa fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure at these recent developments.
Villa fans have their say
Responding to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is the fans evaluation of the news:
"Pain"
Credit:@liamhaddon1
"Unlucky for Ollie, usually would take 3 strikers but the versatility of Rashford as poor as he’s been solved that issue for Southgate"
Credit:@DomTheOmnic