England might not play again until the summer but Thursday night would have brought a smile to Thomas Tuchel's face. The England manager watched his side labour for goals without captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane during last month's friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. The Villa forward was left out of the expanded 35-man England squad by Tuchel in March, having scored just one goal in his previous nine Premier League matches. Despite the comments, the striker's hopes of making it to the World Cup were left in doubt. "It's the back end of the season and I'm raring to go," Watkins told TNT Sports after Villa moved one step closer to a place in a European semi-final.

Source: BBC April 09, 2026 23:19 UTC