2026 World Cup: Watkins Will Thrive As An Understudy To Kane –Heskey

Former Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey believes Ollie Watkins is the perfect understudy to Harry Kane, stating the forward will thrive as a late-impact substitute at the 2026 World Cup.

Heskey has been a vocal supporter of the Aston Villa No. 11, championing him as the primary backup to Kane.

In a chat with The Standard, Heskey stated that Watkins will make a positive impact for England at the 2026 World Cup.

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“You’ve got to be ready for that (to make an impact off the bench),” Heskey told The Standard.

“He has shown that before (scoring a 90th-minute winner in the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands). He brings something different that defenders don’t like. So he brings you in, you’re running down the side, and they don’t like turning.

“So he’s got to be ready, and he’s got to be aware of what he’s coming into and be ready for that. Because he’s going to play a massive role.”

England play their final warm-up game against Costa Rica on Wednesday night before kicking off their tournament against Croatia on June 17.

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Watkins is a legendary figure at Aston Villa. He became the club’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer and recently joined the exclusive “100 Club” with over 100 goals across all competitions.

He has reached double-digit league goals in six consecutive campaigns.

Aside from his lethal finishing, he has also been a massive creative asset, topping the Premier League’s assist charts in previous campaigns.