ASTON VILLA striker Ollie Watkins admitted being left out of the England squad gave him the “fire back in my belly.”

Watkins’s World Cup hopes appeared to take a terminal blow when boss Thomas Tuchel omitted him for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan – the last camp before the German names his tournament squad.

But the 30-year-old’s stock increased without him being there as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke both failed to impress in the absence of Harry Kane and the Villa man has found his form since, scoring six goals in the last six games.

“No-one likes to be left out of the England squad. It always gives you that fuel in your belly to prove what you can do and prove people wrong,” he said ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League semi-final first leg at Nottingham Forest this evening.

“I was determined to show people what I can do, change my form around and I feel like I’ve done that. We’ll see where we are at the end of the season.

“I spoke to [Tuchel] prior to the squad being announced. I think it was fair, my form wasn’t up to the level, so I had no animosity or anything towards him.

“I wasn’t playing my best football. What he said to me was personal, I’ve kept that…I think I needed that time away to get that fire back in my belly and use it as motivation and I think it has definitely helped me.”

Watkins has been a key player in Villa’s rise under Unai Emery, which has seen them take a seat at the top table of English football as well as push for European silverware.

With a summer of change on the horizon at Villa Park, Watkins suggested winning the Europa League would be a fitting way to end a cycle.

“The thing is with squads, they change every year, no matter, players always leave,” he said. “This is the only moment we’re going to have with all the same players in the dressing room.

“We need to do everything we can to get to the end. It’s not going to be easy.

“Forest have picked up some momentum, they are in a good moment and they will do all they can to shut us down and win the game.”

Villa have the man in charge to do it as Emery is chasing his fifth Europa League title.