Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins faces a fresh obstacle to make the cut for England’s Euro 2024 squad.

The Villa forward returned to the Three Lions setup for the first time in more than a year, having scored on his last appearance against Ivory Coast in March 2022. Watkins has been in superb form since the arrival of Unai Emery, registering 29 goal contributions in 39 games across all competitions.

Having scored four goals and assists apiece in the Premier League this term, England boss Gareth Southgate recalled Watkins to the squad. The 27-year-old started a friendly against Australia and repaid his manager by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win at Wembley.

England qualified for Euro 2024 with a win against Italy on Tuesday, and Watkins will be confident of retaining his spot for the tournament next summer. Gareth Southgate, on the other side, has been given a new responsibility in terms of team selection.

According to UEFA regulations, squad sizes for Euro 2024 will be lowered to 23 players. The number of players in the last European Championship was boosted to 26 due to the influence of covid-19, but Southgate was obliged to leave three players out of his matchday squad.

This restriction was then implemented in the recent World Cup, in part because it was a mid-season tournament, posing a larger risk of injury. For the next major competition, however, squad sizes will be reduced to the regular 23-man squads.

This gives Watkins less breathing room to establish his claim for a spot in Euro 2024. Watkins will compete for a backup spot with the Three Lions due to Harry Kane’s unquestionable status as England captain and standout striker.

In terms of orthodox number nines, his main rivals are Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, and Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who is due to return to the club in the second half of the season. Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, and Eberechi Eze were not named in the newest squad.

 

Southgate attracted criticism for suggesting that Watkins had lately found form, having been fearsome since Emery’s appointment last November, while explaining the reasons for Watkins’ reintroduction: “Ollie has begun the season brilliantly. “He’s been in good scoring form in recent weeks,” Southgate remarked.

“You have to be careful because you can’t just look at selection based on recent bias.” He’s in fantastic shape and coming in on a high note.

“He’s been with us before, and we know his personality and character.” He’s a nice man in the group. His team is doing well, he is playing for a well-coached team, and the team is having a terrific season.”