From Exeter to England - how Watkins has risen to top

Ollie Watkins is 1 of 8 of England's starting XI from Monday's 3-0 triumph complete Bosnia-Herzegovina who made their elder debuts extracurricular nan Premier League.

Ezri Konsa, Kieran Trippier, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Dunk, Eberechi Eze took their first steps successful nan EFL.

Jordan Pickford and Jarrod Bowen made their elder bows successful nan National League for Darlington and Hereford while Marc Guehi only had 2 League Cup appearances for Chelsea earlier joining Swansea connected loan.

Striker Watkins made nan leap from League Two broadside Exeter to nan Premier League pinch Aston Villa successful conscionable 3 years.

The 28-year-old could commencement again successful Friday's last Euro 2024 lukewarm up crippled against Iceland arsenic Harry Kane continues to regain afloat fittingness pursuing a backmost problem.

And if fixed nan motion successful Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for nan Euros, it will beryllium his first awesome world tournament, rather nan emergence from making his debut astatine Hartlepool's Victoria Park.

He was connected nan radar of Premier League clubs early. As a winger coming done Exeter's academy, Everton had already been search him.

Watkins made his first Grecians quality connected nan last time of nan 2013-14 play arsenic a precocious substitute astatine Hartlepool but would person to hold for a serious breakthrough.

"He had nan cleanable attitude, nan cleanable characteristic and beingness ability. He had each nan boxes ticked yet, astatine 17, 18, 19 years aged he ne'er played arsenic good arsenic he should person done," said Paul Tisdale, Watkins' first head astatine Exeter.

"He ne'er demonstrated selectability. The spot which makes nan quality is nan player’s capacity to consciousness nan game. Ollie was ne'er astatine his champion waiting for nan shot connected nan wing.

"Ollie was astatine his champion erstwhile he was playing to win, he was astatine his worst erstwhile he was sat wrong a process. To play connected nan helping he was often stuck successful nan process waiting to get nan ball.

"His motor continually turned disconnected his hit and really he thought. When he played connected small heart he was dynamite."

It meant, contempt scoring his first elder extremity successful nan Johnstone's Paint Trophy against Coventry successful October 2014, Watkins made conscionable 3 appearances and yet joined National League South broadside Weston-super-Mare connected indebtedness successful December 2014 for nan remainder of nan season.

It proved to beryllium nan making of him. He swept nan level of nan changing room and scored 10 goals successful 18 starts - catching nan oculus of Dean Smith, who was Walsall leader astatine nan time.

Smith, who is now head of Major League Soccer broadside Charlotte FC recalled: "I really liked what I saw, attitude-wise much than anything."

But Exeter were not prepared to fto their young prima time off and he returned to St James Park to people nine times successful 22 appearances successful 2015-16 having been moved disconnected nan helping to go a cardinal striker.

"Suddenly nan motor turned on. I've ne'er seen a subordinate person a quantum displacement successful their output arsenic overmuch arsenic Ollie did," said Tisdale.

"We ne'er said astir process, wherever to person nan shot and really to person it. A bully subordinate is simply a bully player. You don't request to excavation into that detail. If you are going to optimise a subordinate you request to get into nan psyche and really their motor works."

His shape led to liking from Brentford - pinch Smith having moved to nan Bees - and Derby.

"We were offered a batch of money by Derby successful January (2017)," said Tisdale. "The Derby exemplary was nan other of what Ollie needed, a batch of process, passing and possession. I could person seen Ollie grinding to a halt.

"They didn't undervalue him, it was nan benignant of money we'd person accepted, but we turned it down."

Watkins' characteristic meant he could grip nan business and refocus connected Exeter's promotion dream. A speech betwixt him, his mum and Tisdale helped him judge it arsenic he put his spot successful his manager.

"Your mean subordinate could not header pinch that, you person conscionable turned down a life-changing scenario," added Tisdale.

Hours later Watkins came disconnected nan chair to people successful a triumph complete Wycombe, having pleaded pinch Tisdale to play aft nan head told him he would not characteristic fixed Derby's interest.

He scored 16 goals successful 2016-17 arsenic Exeter mislaid successful nan play-off last to Blackpool.

A move was inevitable, Smith tempted Watkins to Brentford successful nan summertime of 2017 for £1.8m wherever he quickly adapted to different levels.

Watkins responded by improving his nutrition, taking meals location from nan Bees' chef, and now astatine Villa he has a location gym, processing an elite mindset which has made him 1 of nan apical strikers successful nan Premier League.

Ice baths successful nan early hours aft European games, wherever he makes calls to family and friends, person go 2nd nature.

As a consequence he missed conscionable 1 crippled successful nan Premier League this season.

Smith, who near Brentford for Villa successful 2018, made Watkins Villa's past grounds signing 2 years later, paying £28m.

Yet it has not changed him. A family man and a hands connected dada of 2 pinch partner Ellie, only nan occasional crippled of play distracts from nan desire to improve.

A hat-trick against reigning champions Liverpool successful Villa's astonishing 7-2 win were his first Premier League goals and he vanished nan play pinch 16 - and a goalscoring England debut against San Marino.

"He would bump Jack Grealish and John McGinn successful training and not interest astir it. Some players would person a small spot much respect arsenic nan caller subordinate but he conscionable wanted to improve," said Smith.

"I retrieve speaking to John and Jack astir him and they weren’t judge what he was going to beryllium for illustration but past successful training they were for illustration ‘wow, there’s a quiet lad'."

Smith departed successful 2021 but existent Villa leader Unai Emery has encouraged Watkins to beryllium much selfish, trim down connected his transmission play and alternatively attraction connected playing betwixt nan posts more.

As a consequence he has scored 41 goals successful 84 games nether nan Spaniard. It is portion of nan translator of nan full squad since Emery's arrival.

Watkins, who had been linked pinch Arsenal - nan squad he grew up supporting - signed a caller five-year woody successful October.

"I look astatine him now, he has go much of a selfish subordinate which is simply a bully thing," Smith said.

"His biggest spot could beryllium his biggest weakness. He could hit himself up complete things but it would besides thrust him.

"His affectional power now allows him to judge 'I will miss chances but I’ll beryllium fresh for nan adjacent one'."

Watkins is now fresh for Euro 2024, having scored 19 goals for Villa this season - nary of them penalties.

He did not travel done nan Three Lions pathway and he has an overwhelming pridefulness erstwhile going into nan camp.

"He has sewage that mentality which keeps driving him on," added Smith. "He knows it's a short profession and wants to get nan champion retired of it."