Ollie Watkins injury update as England star subbed after painful collision

Ollie Watkins was left in serious pain after colliding with the post (Picture: Getty Images)

Ollie Watkins was forced out of England’s 3-0 win over Wales at half-time through injury after painfully colliding with the post before the break.

The Aston Villa forward had already scored the Three Lions’ second goal of the game after his club teammate Morgan Rogers had netted the first of the night.

Bukayo Saka then curled in a brilliant third to put the home team clear after just 20 minutes at Wembley .

However, there was bad news for Thomas Tuchel as Watkins was injured shortly before the interval.

He should have scored, getting on the end of a low cross but miscuing his effort from close range when he had an open goal to aim at.

There was a bigger problem to come as not only did Watkins prod his shot wide but he collided with the post and was left on the deck in a lot of pain.

The 29-year-old did soldier on for the rest of the first half but looked uncomfortable and was substituted for Marcus Rashford at the break.

Watkins scored England’s second of the evening (Picture: Getty Images)

Tuchel eased fears of England and Aston Villa fans after the game, saying the striker was in pain, but it is unlikely to be a lasting injury.

‘He’s ok,’ said the manager. ‘It was a clear goal normally for him but unfortunately he saw the ball too late and couldn’t score and crashed into the post.

‘It was very, very painful, but as I understood it now it’s only painful so no harm done.’

TWO FOR ENGLAND! ⚽️⚽️It's all too easy for the Three Lions – Watkins finishes from point-blank range #ITVFootball | #ThreeLions | @England pic.twitter.com/I0KNyD89Hl — ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 9, 2025

There proved to be no further goals after the three early strikes, with Walesproving a lot more competitive in the second stanza.

Tuchel felt the Wembley crowd did not react appropriately to England’s blistering start and let their team down after that first 20 minutes.

‘We had an excellent first half. We went 3-0 up very quickly but could have been 4-0 or 5-0 up at half time,’ he told ITV. ‘It was very, very good.

‘Then we couldn’t score the fourth or the fifth one. The stadium was silent. We never got any energy back from the fans and I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the fans.

‘It was difficult to keep everything going in the second half but we did excellent. We deserved to win and the next step in the right direction.’