'hungry' Watkins Is Man On Mission But Will Tuchel Take Notice?

England mightiness not play again until nan summertime but Thursday nighttime would person brought a grin to Thomas Tuchel's face.

The England head watched his broadside labour for goals without skipper and grounds goalscorer Harry Kane during past month's friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

It erstwhile again underlined Tuchel's constricted options erstwhile it comes to an replacement for 32-year-old Kane, pinch nan World Cup successful nan United States, Canada and Mexico a small much than 2 months away.

So he would person been very happy to find retired Ollie Watkins had travel up pinch 2 much goals for Aston Villa successful their 3-1 triumph against Bologna successful nan Europa League quarter-final first limb successful Italy.

The Villa guardant was near retired of nan expanded 35-man England squad by Tuchel successful March, having scored conscionable 1 extremity successful his erstwhile 9 Premier League matches.

"Watkins is not pinch america but this is much down to nan truth that I cognize what he tin bring to nan group - I cognize him very well," Tuchel said during nan squad announcement.

Despite nan comments, nan striker's hopes of making it to nan World Cup were near successful doubt.

Watkins' consequence to nan setback has been thing short of emphatic, pinch nan 30-year-old adding to nan extremity he scored against West Ham successful nan Premier League conscionable earlier nan world break.

"It's nan backmost extremity of nan play and I'm raring to go," Watkins told TNT Sports aft Villa moved 1 measurement person to a spot successful a European semi-final.

"I could play different 90 minutes. I'm excited for nan adjacent fewer games. I'm hungry."

After Ezri Konsa's opener against nan tally of play successful Bologna, Watkins eased Villa's nerves pinch a 2nd early successful nan 2nd half arsenic he pounced connected a correction from Torbjorn Heggem and vanished done nan legs of goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia.

After nan Serie A broadside past scored a precocious extremity done Jonathan Rowe successful nan 90th minute, Watkins restored Villa's two-goal advantage successful nan 94th infinitesimal from a corner, earlier nan return limb astatine Villa Park adjacent Thursday (20:00 BST).