In Focus: Watkins winning more admirers for Villa and England

After a slow start to the season, Ollie Watkins has found his rhythm.

The Aston Villa forward did not score in his first five Premier League appearances this term — but it was only ever going to be a matter of time until he broke that duck.

After netting in his side's 1-0 win at Chelsea last month, he went on to register a hat-trick in an emphatic 6-1 victory over Brighton.

Having returned to form, Villa's No11 was then selected by Gareth Southgate for the latest England squad and scored in the Three Lions' 1-0 friendly win against Australia.

As Unai Emery's outfit prepare to face West Ham this afternoon, we take a closer look at Watkins' impressive recent performances.

Fox in the box

Watkins' strike in the Australia friendly was a typically instinctive finish.

The 27-year-old slid into the six-yard box and converted Jack Grealish's low driven effort, after picking up a good position at the back post.

That kind of finishing was on show in Villa's thumping of Brighton too, with Watkins scoring his first goal from close range before notching two accurate strikes from just inside the area.

He might even consider himself unlucky not to have scored more than four times in the league, with a post-shot expected goals tally of 5.03 suggesting a higher return could have been possible.

All the signs point to another productive season for Watkins, though, who will be looking to better his total of 15 top-flight goals in 2022-23.

England exploits

Watkins will be aiming to become a regular in the England squad — and his contribution against Australia will not have hurt his chances.

After that game, he said: "I envisioned it all today. I was itching to get on the pitch tonight, so I'm delighted I got my goal and it helped the team to win.

"My mindset has changed since the boss Unai Emery has come in at Villa. He's filled me a lot with confidence. I've definitely improved in these last 18 months since I was last in the England camp and I think it shows in my form."

With confidence flowing and his all-round game much improved, Watkins has quickly become one of the Premier League's most accomplished strikers.

A new five-year-deal at Villa is just reward for a player entering his prime years — and with room to improve.

More to come

As club football returns following the international break, Watkins will be enthused by Aston Villa's upcoming fixtures.

Three of the Villans' next four Premier League matches are at home — against West Ham, Luton and Fulham — with a Europa Conference League double-header against AZ Alkmaar and a Carabao Cup trip to Nottingham Forest sandwiched inbetween.

Few would bet against the former Brentford man finding the net in any of those encounters, particularly if he can reach the same level as in recent weeks.