The query about Harry Kane had a straightforward answer, akin to a simple tap-in, but Ollie Watkins took a moment before providing a frank evaluation of the complex dynamics at play. For Watkins, Kane is not only his England captain and a teammate but also, bluntly put, the player he aims to replace. Kane, the nation's all-time leading goal scorer and a surefire starter, was substituted by Watkins in Dortmund three months ago. Watkins seized the opportunity to score a brilliant, instinctive 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands, propelling England into the Euro 2024 final. This undoubtedly marked the pinnacle of the Aston Villa striker's career, a remarkable journey from loan spells at Weston-super-Mare to the Champions League, where Watkins and Kane are set to face off on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich and Kane arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday, ahead of a rematch of the 1982 European Cup final in Rotterdam, which Villa won thanks to a Peter Withe goal. Bayern is hopeful that Kane will recover from an ankle injury sustained in Saturday's draw with Bayer Leverkusen to play at Villa Park. When asked if Kane constantly assists him and vice versa during England duty, Watkins hinted at the competitive edge inherent in their relationship. "Umm, that's a tough question, to be honest," Watkins replied. "Everyone is vying for a spot on the pitch. I want to be the one to play, but day in and day out, we maintain a good relationship, we communicate, and there's no animosity. I'm doing everything I can to be on the pitch, and so is he."
Watkins and Kane spent over six weeks together before and during the European Championship in Germany. "Harry is a top player, everyone knows his capabilities, he's demonstrated what he can do over the seasons, so everyone recognizes his threat. But the entire Bayern team is one of the best in the competition," Watkins noted. "He has the records and the goals he's scored for a reason. He deserves all the credit he gets. He's put in a lot of hard work over the years." Kane, who was substituted against Leverkusen with four minutes left in regular time, is expected to be fit to face Villa. Bayern's sporting director, Max Eberl, provided a positive update on Kane on Tuesday. Kane has scored 10 goals in seven appearances this season, including four against Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener. "He feels very good," Eberl said. "But I am not a doctor, I cannot make any conclusions."
Watkins admitted he never imagined representing Villa in the Champions League when Unai Emery was appointed in October 2022. "Not for one minute. We were near the bottom of the [Premier] League, and I never thought we would finish that season [2022-23] seventh and then go on to finish fourth [in 2023-24]. He has completely transformed us as players and as a club, so full credit to him and us as players. I would never have dreamed of it."
