Manager Thomas Tuchel and the England squad will be without Ollie Watkins for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Latvia after he was injured in a freak accident during Thursday’s friendly against Wales. Watkins had been knocked into the woodwork during the 3-0 win at Wembley Stadium.
Watkins was given a rare start by Tuchel, and the Aston Villa forward repaid his manager’s faith in him. The 29-year-old scored the second of England’s three goals against Wales, but was sent off after just 45 minutes.
Television cameras showed Watkins in considerable pain, and pitchside microphones also captured his screams. He was sent off at half-time and the former Brentford striker was replaced by Marcus Rashford.
However, with the next game against England just around the corner, Watkins was unable to recover from the collision and was left out of the Three Lions squad. Announcing the move on social media, the official England
Watkins posted on social media after Wales’ win, saying he was delighted to be back on the scoresheet, but made no mention of the injury. “He’s fine. Normally it would have been an obvious goal, but he hit the post. It hurt a lot, but as I understand now, it only hurts. So there was no harm done,” Tuchel said after the game, allaying concerns.
It’s entirely possible that this decision is just a precautionary measure, but it will leave Unai Emery and the Aston Villa faithful reeling ahead of the Premier League’s restart this weekend. The West Midlands side appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks, winning each of their last four meetings in all competitions.
Their qualities will be put to the test this weekend when Aston Villa travel to heavy favorites Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their Europa League away fixture, this time against the Go Ahead Eagles. Afterwards, Manchester City visit Villa Park before Emery and others. They will play away to reigning champions Liverpool in early November.
After a slow start to the season, Watkins scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 home win over Fulham. Due to his withdrawal from the England camp, his availability for Sunday’s match against Spurs is in doubt.
