Gareth Southgate hailed Ollie Watkins’s fairytale England debut after the Aston Villa striker scored in a 5-0 win against San Marino in Thursday’s opening World Cup qualifier. 

Just four years ago, Watkins was playing in English football’s fourth tier with Exeter.  Watkins, 25, has enjoyed a meteoric rise since then, joining Brentford in 2017 before moving to Villa last year after finishing as top scorer in the Championship.