Proper news from Britain - News from Britain you won’t find anywhere else. Not the tosh the big media force-feed you every day!
Thomas Tuchel and England will be without Ollie Watkins for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier in Latvia after the striker picked up an injury from a freak accident during Thursday's friendly with Wales. Watkins had taken a knock after colliding with the woodwork during the 3-0 victory at Wembley Stadium.
Watkins had been afforded a rare starting berth by Tuchel, with the Aston Villa forward repaying the manager's faith. The 29-year-old netted the second of England's three goals against Wales, but only managed 45 minutes before being subbed off.
The television cameras depicted Watkins in considerable pain, with the pitchside microphones having also captured his screams. He was taken off at the break, with Marcus Rashford brought on in the ex-Brentford striker's place.
But with England's next match just around the corner, Watkins has been unable to recover from the collision and has therefore been taken out of the Three Lions' squad. Announcing the move via social media, the official England X account posted: "Ollie Watkins has been ruled out of tomorrow's @FIFAWorldCup qualifier against Latvia, having not recovered from the knock sustained against Wales. Speedy recovery, Ollie!"
Watkins had posted on social media after the Wales win, commenting on how good it felt to be back on the scoresheet, but failed to reference the injury. It came after Tuchel played down fears after the match, saying: "He is okay. It was a clear goal for him normally, but he crashed into the post. It was very painful, but as I understand it now, it is only painful. So, no harm done."
There's every chance the decision is simply a precaution, but it will have Unai Emery and the Aston Villa faithful fretting ahead of the Premier League's return this weekend. The West Midlands outfit appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks and have won each of their previous four outings across all competitions.
Their credentials will be tested this weekend when Aston Villa make the trip to high-flying Tottenham Hotspur ahead of another Europa League away match, this time against Go Ahead Eagles. Manchester City are the visitors to Villa Park after that, before Emery and co. go away to reigning champions Liverpool at the start of November.
After a slow start to the campaign, Watkins scored his opening goal of the season in the recent 3-1 win at home to Fulham. His withdrawal from the England camp makes him a doubt for the upcoming Spurs clash on Sunday.