Manchester United have the perfect striker candidate - Ruben Amorim will love him

A year ago Ollie Watkins was the toast of the country after slamming in a last-minute winner to take England to the final of Euro 2024.

His driven strike into the far corner earned a 2-1 win over the Netherlands and gave the Three Lions a shot at ending their near 60-year wait for glory.

12 months on, and Watkins has fallen down the pecking order for club and country.

He has not played for England in 2025, although injury ruled him out of the most recent camp, while he lost his spot at Aston Villa to Manchester United loanee Marcus. Ironically it's United who could offer Watkins a lifeline - and striker could do likewise for the Reds.

He may be 29 and he may be valued at £60million - a figure that would surely need to be reduced for United to step in and do a deal - but he is a proven Premier League goalscorer with the attributes Ruben Amorim wants from his central striker.

Rasmus Hojlund has failed to convince in the past two seasons and the Dane would benefit from time out of the limelight, while Joshua Zirkzee was never an out-and-out frontman and is more suited to a number 10 role.

Watkins offers the perfect mix of a willing runner, goalscoring instincts and an ability to lead a line. His athleticism and finishing mark him out while his aerial ability is far better than he is given credit for and ranks him among the league's best for headers won.

The former Brentford man is also a willing presser, a hard worker and an intelligent footballer. He knows when to press and when to wait, when to exploit space and when to time his effort, when to strike and when to come short.

When he was coming through the ranks at Exeter, his then-teammate Jacob Butterfield used to talk to him about Cristiano Ronaldo and how to