\n<\/p>\n
England might not play again until the summer but Thursday night would have brought a smile to Thomas Tuchel’s face.<\/b><\/p>\n
The England manager watched his side labour for goals without captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane during last month’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.<\/p>\n
It once again underlined Tuchel’s limited options when it comes to an alternative for 32-year-old Kane, with the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico a little more than two months away. <\/p>\n
So he would have been very happy to find out Ollie Watkins had come up with two more goals for Aston Villa in their 3-1 win against Bologna in the Europa League quarter-final first leg in Italy.<\/p>\n
The Villa forward was left out of the expanded 35-man England squad by Tuchel in March, having scored just one goal in his previous nine Premier League matches.<\/p>\n
“Watkins is not with us but this is more down to the fact that I know what he can bring to the group – I know him very well,” Tuchel said during the squad announcement. <\/p>\n
Despite the comments, the striker’s hopes of making it to the World Cup were left in doubt.<\/p>\n
Watkins’ response to the setback has been nothing short of emphatic, with the 30-year-old adding to the goal he scored against West Ham in the Premier League just before the international break. <\/p>\n
“It’s the back end of the season and I’m raring to go,” Watkins told TNT Sports after Villa moved one step closer to a place in a European semi-final. <\/p>\n
“I could play another 90 minutes. I’m excited for the next few games. I’m hungry.” <\/p>\n
After Ezri Konsa’s opener against the run of play in Bologna, Watkins eased Villa’s nerves with a second early in the second half as he pounced on a mistake from Torbjorn Heggem and finished through the legs of goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia. <\/p>\n
After the Serie A side then scored a late goal through Jonathan Rowe in the 90th minute, Watkins restored Villa’s two-goal advantage in the 94th minute from a corner, before the return leg at Villa Park next Thursday (20:00 BST).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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