England international Ollie Watkins has given an interview to the Mirror, in which he says he believes his abilities have been undervalued by the media and fans. He says that he’s willing to play a supporting role for Harry Kane in the national team, just like Joselu for Real Madrid.
Last season, Watkins scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists for Aston Villa, finishing top of the Premier League assist chart and second only to Erling Haaland in the goalscoring charts. His performances helped Villa qualify for the Champions League. He has also been called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad. But since the day he was called up, there have been constant doubts about him.
In the face of consistent negativity from the media and fans, Watkins says: “I’ve definitely had my doubts. Even when I moved to Villa for £30 million, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it there. I hadn’t played in the Premier League before, so I’d say I was a bit lacking in confidence. Now, my confidence is through the roof.”
After being included in England’s 26-man squad for the European Championship, many people have said that Watkins wasted a place in the squad. In response to this criticism, he says: “You have to be mentally strong. Every day, you’re training physically and then you’re working on your technical skills. But for a striker, you need more than that. You can go through a period of three games without scoring, and then you start doubting yourself. But right now, I’m calm. I know I’m going to get my chances. I’m going to find a way to score. Before, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. In my opinion, the media undervalue my abilities. I’ve had a really good year. I’ve scored a lot of goals, I’m top of the assist charts. Everyone has their opinion, I don’t think I’m as big as they make out. Of course, if I wasn’t in the squad, people might say, ‘They’ve left Watkins out’. If that’s the case, I’d be happy.”
Finally, Watkins spoke about Harry Kane, saying that he is happy to play a supporting role: “I’m willing to play alongside Kane. He’ll be cutting in. He can play the number 10 role and deliver a lot of passes. He does that for Tottenham, he gets the ball and plays it to Son. But I know we’ve got many players who can play in the number 10 role. I’m always ready to play. That’s my attitude. Like Joselu in the Champions League. He didn’t play much all season. But when he came on, he scored two goals. Real Madrid wouldn’t have been Champions League winners without him.”
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