Watkins embraces England super-sub role and admits he cannot play like Harry Kane

Ollie Watkins has embraced his role as an impact substitute for England at the 2026 World Cup, declaring every member of Thomas Tuchel’s squad has a major part to play — and paying candid tribute to captain Harry Kane in the process.

The Aston Villa striker is best remembered in an England shirt for his last-gasp winner against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final, a moment that sent Gareth Southgate’s side to the final. Now operating under Tuchel, Watkins sees a similar opportunity to influence games from the bench.

“I think everyone is crucial in this squad,” Watkins said. “The squad that we have and the players coming off the bench — I was really excited. At 60, 70 minutes he was changing the whole front three. He brought on Rashy, Bukayo and Morgan and then threw in Djed Spence at the end as well. Bringing on pacey players that just want to run forward and score more goals — it’s exciting. Everyone’s got a big part to play.”

Tuchel has been open about his desire to use “finishers” to alter games, a philosophy already evident in England’s recent friendly against Croatia, where Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers all came off the bench to help secure the win.

Watkins is under no illusions about where he stands relative to Kane in the striker hierarchy, but he is equally clear that he brings something different. “With H, his performances speak for themselves, his goal record speaks for itself and he’s very unique in the way that he plays,” Watkins said. “He’s very intelligent and I can’t play like him. I stick to what I can do, so I don’t try to copy him or do anything like that. I stick to my strengths.”

Watkins also offered an encouraging update on Saka, who sat out a group training session on Saturday to follow an individual programme. “He hasn’t missed a day of training, so that’s a good thing,” Watkins said. “Managing niggles is very important for a major tournament. I’ve only played with him a handful of times and I feel he always makes the right decision. That’s the hardest thing to do in football.”

England face Ghana in Boston on Tuesday as their pre-tournament preparations continue ahead of the World Cup.