Delighted Dean Smith says Ollie Watkins fully deserves his maiden senior England call-up and revealed the Aston Villa striker had the Three Lions in his sights when he first signed for the club last summer.
The frontman, 25, has been named in Gareth Southgate’s squad, alongside team-mate Tyrone Mings, for the forthcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland in March.
Watkins is enjoying an impressive debut season for Villa, netting 12 goals to date in all competitions, and leading the forward line superbly since his arrival.
And Villa head coach Smith was full of praise as he reflected on a proud moment of international recognition for Ollie.
“A very proud moment and well deserved from our point of view,” he said.
“I’ve spoken glowingly about Ollie’s attitude, how hard he works, and some of the messages I’ve seen already for him have been about that attitude and how hard he works.
“Thrilled for him and his family, we told him that Aston Villa could be a great platform for him and so it’s proved.”
Dean continued: “I called him as soon as it got announced and I could tell from his voice how happy he was.
“One of the questions when I met up with him with Johan Lange (Sporting Director) in the summer was ‘how can you get me into the England squad?’
“But I can honestly say he’s got himself into the England squad, he’s worked very hard since he’s been at Aston Villa.
“He’s a joy to work with and the reaction from all of his team-mates, some of our players have missed out, can feel a little bit unlucky, but Gareth has so many to choose from and Ollie’s been one of them, we’re really pleased for him.”
And Smith insists Watkins’ ambitious nature means he will now be looking to make his mark while on international duty and prove himself at the highest level.
“I’m really pleased to see that he keeps developing,” added Smith, who is celebrating his 50th birthday on Friday.
“Just getting into the England squad won’t be enough for Ollie, knowing what he’s like, he’ll want to just keep getting better, he'll want to get on the pitch, he'll want to start games for England and he’ll want to score goals for England.
“That’s ultimately the way he works, the way he thinks and that’s why he just becomes a better player.”
You can watch Dean’s full interview below…
