Gareth Southgate suffers damning injury blow hours after naming England squad

15 March 2024 , 07:22

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Ollie Watkins was named in England's 25-man squad (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins suffered a nasty knee injury just hours after being named in the latest England squad.

Watkins, 28, scored in Villa's emphatic 4-0 victory over 10-man Ajax in the Conference League last 16 on Thursday, with England boss Gareth Southgate having announced his call-ups that afternoon. The Premier League's second-top goalscorer, only trailing Erling Haaland, headed home Douglas Luiz's cross in the 25th minute but had to be substituted just after the half-hour mark.

Watkins was unable to continue after a collision with Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj, as Villa reached their first European quarter-final since 1998. "At the beginning it's no more than a cut on the knee," Villa manager Unai Emery explained post-match. "Maybe he could be available for Sunday [against West Ham] but we'll have to wait and see."

The 28-year-old is therefore at risk of being replaced, with the Three Lions due to face Brazil at home next Friday before welcoming Belgium to Wembley the following Tuesday. Watkins has established himself as England's second-choice striker behind Harry Kane, while Brentford's Ivan Toney has also been named in the squad after returning from his eight-month ban for gambling breaches.

Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, who has one less goal than Watkins' 16 in the Premier League this season, missed out on the initial 25-man squad but could now receive a call-up. Southgate may choose not select a replacement at all, however, with Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Kane, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Toney making up the remainder of his forward options.

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Given that England will need to trim their squad down by two ahead of Euro 2024 this summer, Southgate was asked on Thursday whether there'd be room for both Toney and Watkins. "Maybe, maybe not. I genuinely don't know the answer to that," the Three Lions boss admitted.

Your turn! Who should replace Ollie Watkins in the England squad? Let us know your pick in the comments section.

Ollie Watkins cut his knee after colliding with Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

"That will depend on what kind of profile we need, what the profiles of the rest of the squad [members] are, whether we need a couple of players that are adaptable in a couple of positions that means we can pick specialists in certain other positions.

"I think we feel that Ivan is one of the contenders in that role, so [it is] important to bring him back in and be able to work with him again. He has shown, coming back into Brentford’s team, the impact and quality that he can have.

"Equally, Ollie is having an outstanding season with Aston Villa and is a player in excellent form. I have to say Unai has done an excellent job with Villa, and he’s a player who has benefited from that."

Nathan Ridley