From Exeter to England - how Watkins has risen to top

Ollie Watkins is one of eight of England's starting XI from Monday's 3-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina who made their senior debuts outside the Premier League.

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

Jordan Pickford and Jarrod Bowen made their senior bows in the National League for Darlington and Hereford while Marc Guehi only had two League Cup appearances for Chelsea before joining Swansea on loan.

Striker Watkins made the leap from League Two side Exeter to the Premier League with Aston Villa in just three years.

The 28-year-old could start again in Friday's final Euro 2024 warm up game against Iceland as Harry Kane continues to regain full fitness following a back problem.

And, now given the nod in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for the Euros, it will be his first major international tournament, quite the rise from making his debut at Hartlepool's Victoria Park.

Early struggles at Exeter

He was on the radar of Premier League clubs early. As a winger coming through Exeter's academy, Everton had already been tracking him.

Watkins made his first Grecians appearance on the final day of the 2013-14 season as a late substitute at Hartlepool but would have to wait for a serious breakthrough.

"He had the perfect attitude, the perfect character and physical ability. He had all the boxes ticked yet, at 17, 18, 19 years old he never played as well as he should have done," said Paul Tisdale, Watkins' first manager at Exeter.

"He never demonstrated selectability. The bit which makes the difference is the player’s capability to feel the game. Ollie was never at his best waiting for the ball on the wing.

"Ollie was at his best when he was playing to win, he was at his worst when he was sat within a process. To play on the wing he was often stuck in the process waiting to get the ball.

"His engine continually turned off his rhythm and how he thought. When he played on instinct he was dynamite."

Watkins has scored 28 goals for club and country this season

Sweeping the changing room floor - and scoring goals

It meant, despite scoring his first senior goal in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy against Coventry in October 2014, Watkins made just three appearances and ultimately joined National League South side Weston-super-Mare on loan in December 2014 for the rest of the season.

It proved to be the making of him. He swept the floor of the changing room and scored 10 goals in 18 starts - catching the eye of Dean Smith, who was Walsall boss at the time.

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

But Exeter were not prepared to let their young star leave and he returned to St James Park to score nine times in 22 appearances in 2015-16 having been moved off the wing to become a central striker.

"Suddenly the engine turned on. I've never seen a player have a quantum shift in their output as much as Ollie did," said Tisdale.

"We never spoke about process, where to receive the ball and how to receive it. A good player is a good player. You don't need to dig into that detail. If you are going to optimise a player you need to get into the psyche and how their engine works."

It took time for Watkins to develop under Paul Tisdale at Exeter

Turning down a life-changing scenario

His form led to interest from Brentford - with Smith having moved to the Bees - and Derby.

"We were offered a lot of money by Derby in January (2017)," said Tisdale. "The Derby model was the opposite of what Ollie needed, a lot of process, passing and possession. I could have seen Ollie grinding to a halt.

"They didn't undervalue him, it was the kind of money we'd have accepted, but we turned it down."

Watkins' character meant he could handle the situation and refocus on Exeter's promotion dream. A conversation between him, his mum and Tisdale helped him accept it as he put his trust in his manager.

"Your average player could not cope with that, you have just turned down a life-changing scenario," added Tisdale.

Hours later Watkins came off the bench to score in a win over Wycombe, having pleaded with Tisdale to play after the manager told him he would not feature given Derby's interest.

He scored 16 goals in 2016-17 as Exeter lost in the play-off final to Blackpool.

'There's a hungry lad'

A move was inevitable, Smith tempted Watkins to Brentford in the summer of 2017 for £1.8m where he quickly adapted to different levels.

Watkins responded by improving his nutrition, taking meals home from the Bees' chef, and now at Villa he has a home gym, developing an elite mindset which has made him one of the top strikers in the Premier League.

Ice baths in the early hours after European games, where he makes calls to family and friends, have become second nature.

As a result he missed just one game in the Premier League this season.

Smith, who left Brentford for Villa in 2018, made Watkins Villa's then record signing two years later, paying £28m.

Yet it has not changed him. A family man and a hands on dad of two with partner Ellie, only the occasional game of golf distracts from the desire to improve.

A hat-trick against reigning champions Liverpool in Villa's astonishing 7-2 win were his first Premier League goals and he finished the season with 16 - and a goalscoring England debut against San Marino.

"He would bump Jack Grealish and John McGinn in training and not worry about it. Some players would have a little bit more respect as the new player but he just wanted to improve," said Smith.

"I remember speaking to John and Jack about him and they weren’t sure what he was going to be like but then in training they were like ‘wow, there’s a hungry lad'."

Former Villa boss Smith remains close with Watkins

'A mentality which keeps driving him on'

Smith departed in 2021 but current Villa boss Unai Emery has encouraged Watkins to be more selfish, cut down on his channel play and instead focus on playing between the posts more.

As a result he has scored 41 goals in 84 games under the Spaniard. It is part of the transformation of the entire squad since Emery's arrival.

Watkins, who had been linked with Arsenal - the team he grew up supporting - signed a fresh five-year deal in October.

"I look at him now, he has become more of a selfish player which is a good thing," Smith said.

"His biggest strength could be his biggest weakness. He could beat himself up over things but it would also drive him.

"His emotional control now allows him to accept 'I will miss chances but I’ll be ready for the next one'."

Watkins is now ready for Euro 2024, having scored 19 goals for Villa this season - none of them penalties.

He did not come through the Three Lions pathway and he has an overwhelming pride when going into the camp.

"He has got that mentality which keeps driving him on," added Smith. "He knows it's a short career and wants to get the best out of it."