00:01Aston Villa striker Oli Watkins has insisted he remains fully committed to England's World Cup campaign, despite facing impossible competition
00:10for minutes behind Captain Harry Kane.
00:13Speaking at his latest press conference in Kansas City, the Aston Villa striker admitted he is eager to contribute whenever
00:20Thomas Tuchel calls upon him.
00:22Watkins praised England's squad depth and explained that substitutes could play a decisive role as the tournament progresses, especially in
00:30demanding conditions.
00:32The 30-year-old also defended Tuchel's intense coaching style after footage emerged of the England boss shouting during training
00:40sessions, saying the manager's high standards are driven by his desire to win.
00:44Watkins stressed that the atmosphere within camp remains positive.
00:48Away from football, Watkins also supported Belgium's Jeremy Doku over his decision to potentially leave the tournament for the birth
00:57of his child, stating that family must always come first.
01:01With England preparing to face Ghana, Watkins remains ready to seize his opportunity if it comes his way.
01:08Here's what Ali Watkins had to say.
01:11Yeah, I think everyone's crucial in this squad.
01:14I think the squad depth that we have and the players, you know, coming off the bench the other day,
01:20I think I was really excited when I saw, I think, yeah, 60, 70 minutes that he was basically changing
01:27the whole front three apart.
01:28Well, well, he brought on Rashid, Bakkaya and Morgan and then throwing Jed at the end as well.
01:37Yeah, I think bringing on pacey players that just want to run forward, score more goals, I think, yeah, I
01:46think it's exciting.
01:46And I think everyone's got a big part to play in this competition.
01:51Yeah, I saw that this morning, actually.
01:53I don't know.
01:54No one in here asked the question, did they?
01:57No.
01:57No, I was going to say, because from my perspective, I think he, someone labelled it disgusting.
02:04And I think for a start, that's not a way to label a birth.
02:11Obviously, I've seen what my wife had to go through in birth.
02:14And that was quite smooth sailing.
02:16But I know family members and friends that, you know, haven't had it that way.
02:22Like he said, it only happens once.
02:25You know, your first child, welcoming them to the world is a blessing.
02:31And, yeah, you don't get that opportunity.
02:33There's a lot of times where you're away from family and friends during the season.
02:38And it's a very difficult period.
02:40So to miss that would be tough.
02:43And I see where he's coming from.
02:45I think he has all right to go back and be there.
02:50You know, I think we're very privileged men at the end of the day.
02:53And I'm sure he will have a lot of support to be able to get back and get there as
02:58quickly as possible.
