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Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has backed Ollie Watkins to return to the England squad.
The striker has impressed Gerrard during his short time in charge, scoring two goals in Gerrard's first three games as manager, against Brighton last month and Manchester City in midweek.
Gerrard thought the 25-year-old's performance against the Premier League champions on Wednesday night was his best since he took over at Villa Park three weeks ago.
Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has backed Ollie Watkins to return to the England squad
Watkins was left out of the most recent England squad a month ago but he is confident Gareth Southgate will pick him again if he continues to perform for Villa.
'Listen, I think in situations like this you just let the football do the talking, and Ollie has certainly done that in his first three games with me,' said Gerrard.
'Manchester City was probably his strongest performance. I thought he really occupied Manchester City's two defenders for the whole game - he looked powerful, he looked strong, his hold-up play was terrific. He scored a fantastic goal, which was only a half-chance really.
The striker has impressed Gerrard during his time in charge, scoring two goals in Gerrard's first three games as
