England’s Ollie Watkins ready to make World Cup impact off the bench

England striker Ollie Watkins knows his World Cup moment could be just around the corner.

Watkins wrote himself into English football folklore two years ago when he came off the bench to score a last-minute winner against the Netherlands and send his country through to the Euro 2024 final.

He is back in familiar territory in North America – on the bench behind Harry Kane in a designated ‘finisher’ role.

The 30-year-old did not make it on to the pitch in Wednesday’s Group L opener against Croatia but knows his time will come.

“I feel like I understand the competition now, I understand that everyone has their moment, everyone has a part to play and, when I see other players having their moment, I’m really happy for them,” he said.

“I experienced mine at a great time, obviously in the semi-final, but leading up to that point, before everyone had a part to play in certain moments and I know that’s the same for this tournament as well.

“I feel like there’s no pressure on me to come on at the end of the day.

“I think the expectation for me is people don’t see me playing, obviously they see Harry playing, but I know what I can bring to the table.

“I watch the game when I’m on the bench, I can see the game opens up.

“It’s a completely different game when you start a game of football than when you finish it. I’ve experienced that as a substitute, there are so many more opportunities when you come on.

“A lot of people are tired, they lose focus and sometimes it can be better to be a substitute than to start the game.

“I’ve spoken about it so many times before, I said I was going to score that day and I did.

“It’s the best feeling to come on and change the game and I’m hoping to do that again this tournament.”

Watkins’ place at the