Watkins embracing supporting role as Tuchel taps England's bench strength

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 21 : England's Ollie Watkins has yet to kick a ball in his debut World Cup, but the striker is convinced Thomas Tuchel's willingness to unleash fresh attackers from the bench could prove a decisive weapon in the pursuit of glory.

England's 4-2 victory over Croatia offered a glimpse of the approach Tuchel favours, with Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers all introduced in the second half as the manager looked to maintain the tempo against tiring opponents.

"I think everyone's crucial in this squad, the squad depth that we have, and the players coming off the bench the other day," Watkins told reporters on Sunday. "I was really excited when I saw 60, 70 minutes that he was basically changing the whole front three.

"I think bringing on pacey players that run forward, score more goals, I think it's exciting."

The Aston Villa forward has been keeping sharp, scoring in a 5-1 thrashing of MLS side Sporting Kansas City in a closed-door friendly on Thursday as non-starters built fitness away from the spotlight.

"It's just good to get that flow of minutes into your legs, rather than just running in a straight line," he said. "I prefer to play a game after, like we have been. As tiring as it is with all the travelling, it gets out your legs, and you feel much better doing it that way."

Ahead of Tuesday's game against Ghana, he acknowledged the threat posed by Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo.

"We know Semenyo is a great player, as you've seen in the last few seasons, but he focuses a lot on ourselves and what we're trying to do with the ball, and how we're trying to dominate them," Watkins said.

DEMANDING MANAGER

Tuchel's intensity has become a talking point in England's camp. During training