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JOE BERNSTEIN: Ollie Watkins must be given a shot with England after Aston Villa striker nets hat-trick against Brighton in front of the watching Gareth Southgate

Ollie Watkins regards himself as a far better striker now than when he won his last England cap 18 months ago.

Watkins did his prospects of an international recall no harm at all by scoring a hat-trick in front of England boss Gareth Southgate on Saturday.

The squad for this month’s games against Australia and Italy is named on Thursday, and Watkins insisted there is no comparison to the player who made the last of his seven England appearances against Ivory Coast in March 2022.

‘I’m definitely better now,’ he said. ‘I’ve learned a lot in a short space of time.