Watkins has kicked on at Villa with 70 goals in 169 games, hitting 19 Premier League goals last season to take his club into the Champions League.
Dean Smith, who managed him at Brentford and Villa, said: “I look at him now – he has become more of a selfish player, which is a good thing.
“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’.”
Just last month Watkins said: “Even when I first went to Villa, I’d just been bought for £30m and I was still unsure whether I deserved to be there.
“I hadn’t done it in the Premier League, so I would say there was a bit of that before. But now I’m in a really good place.
“I had a really good year, got the most assists in the league, scored a lot of goals and people still weren’t including me in their squads to come to the Euros.
“Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t feel like I have that big profile where I’m talked about. Or where if I was left out of the squad, people would be like: ‘Oh, I can’t believe they didn’t pick Ollie Watkins.’
“I’m happy I’m here now.”
And so is Gareth Southgate.
“Ollie has trained every day and been ready to play, as the whole group has been,” he said.
“There’s a lot of new players in the group. Half have not been to a tournament but they have bonded so well, got each other’s back and tonight was a good example of that.”
