Ollie Watkins has said advice from Michael Owen helped him add a sharper edge to his game before England’s World Cup meeting with Ghana on Tuesday.
The Aston Villa striker is with Thomas Tuchel’s squad in the United States and is pushing for minutes behind Harry Kane after England opened Group L with a 4-2 win over Croatia. Watkins was an unused substitute in Arlington, but his comments from England’s Kansas City base underline why Villa supporters should still see him as a live tournament weapon.
Watkins explained that Owen’s message was about becoming less nice on the pitch and making better use of his natural threat, according to AFP’s report via theScore. The 30-year-old finished the club season strongly for Villa and said that change helped him earn his place at the World Cup.
Watkins Has A Clear England Role To Attack
The key Villa angle is not just the Owen link. Watkins also spoke with clarity about the value of arriving from the bench, pointing to tired defenders, looser games and the chance to punish opponents late on.
That is exactly the role he made famous at Euro 2024, when he scored England’s semi-final winner against the Netherlands. Kane remains the first-choice No.9, but Watkins gives Tuchel a different route: pace behind, penalty-box movement and the calm of a player who already knows how to change a major tournament knockout tie.
England face Ghana in Boston on Tuesday before closing the group against Panama. For Villa, the message is simple: Watkins may not need to start to matter.
