Back to the Aston Villa Newsfeed

Ollie Watkins: From Exeter City youth player to England international

"The fans still sing 'he's one of our own'. They loved Ollie and he loved being here," reflects Exeter City's president Julian Tagg.

Ollie Watkins was called into the England squad for the first time on Thursday and, while he may be a relatively new name to Premier League and England followers, Exeter City have known about his potential for years.

Having made his debut for the League Two club as an 18-year-old in May 2014, Watkins has shot up through football's ranks.

He was the Championship's hottest property last season as his 26 goals in 50 games helped Brentford reach the play-off final, while his hat-trick against Liverpool earlier this season showed that Aston Villa were wise to spend £28m on English talent.