Speaking on the ITV Football Show Podcast, Andros Townsend has expressed his sympathy for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins after he was cut from the England squad.
Gareth Southgate had a number of cut-throat decisions to make this week as he had to cut his squad size down from 33 to 26, and sadly, one of the players who had to miss out was Watkins.
What’s been said?
Townsend was speaking about the England squad, and he says he really feels sorry for Watkins after he was left out of the final 26.
“We’ve not spoken about Ollie Watkins, I feel a bit sorry for him. He’s different to any other attacking player on there. He runs in behind for fun, which is a dream for a midfielder. He presses from the front, he doesn’t stop running, he’s got the right attitude and he can score a goal,” Townsend said.
Unluckiest of the bunch
There weren’t many shocks when it came to the players who were cut from the squad, but Watkins has to be considered the unluckiest of the bunch.
England have only taken two recognised number nines to the Euros, and when you consider the fact that they’ve taken four right-backs, it’s easy to question Southgate’s decision here.
Watkins has every reason to be annoyed with the decision, but there’s very little he can do about it now, so he has to just work hard and make sure he’s in the World Cup squad next year.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
