Paul Ince salutes England striker after dream performance in Ivory Coast win
Former England captain Paul Ince was impressed with Three Lions striker Ollie Watkins who capped a fine performance with a goal in Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast.
Watkins was making his first start for England and it could not have gone much better. With Harry Kane starting on the bench for the friendly clash he was handed the number nine role and did a good job. A goal and an assist and the Aston Villa starlet has staked a claim for the World Cup later this year.
Fitness permitting Kane will of course lead the line in Qatar but Gareth Southgate needs back-up options. Watkins is now one of them.
England cruise to victory
The 26-year-old grabbed the first goal of the night with an opportunistic finish on 30 minutes. He was then involved in the second goal scored by Raheem Sterling on the stroke of half-time.
Watkins strong hold-up play and lay-off was pivotal and showed he has another string to his bow. Villa team-mate Tyrone Mings wrapped up the scoring with the third goal in the 93rd minute.
Speaking after the game Watkins was happy with his performance but admitted he was ‘sloppy at times’. Ince agreed with his honest assessment but says there was a lot to like about the performance.
The former Manchester United star felt Watkins could not have done much more in the game. Indeed he believes it was the kind of performance you dream about before a game.
“He said he was ‘sloppy at times’, which he was. But his hold-up play was very good. Runs the channels. Score a goal,” Ince told Sky Sports after the game.
“If you said to him ‘you can dream about that before tonight’. He would have snapped your hands off. He’s a very good player. He’s not been bang in form at Villa. He doesn’t play a lot, Ings plays more than he is.
“It’s great movement (for his goal). You are talking about the top strikers and gambling. Knowing when the player is on the ball. Knowing what he is going to do. They are the best goals for strikers.”
Competition hots up
Competition for a place in Southgate’s World Cup squad will be hot. Patrick Bamford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be pushing hard despite injury issues. Tammy Abraham missed out against the Ivory Coast through injury but should get the nod.
Watkins will have done his chances no harm on Tuesday night’s showing. And a strong end to the season with Villa could cement his place.
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