I voted for the FWA award and chose the Aston Villa man over Phil Foden and Declan Rice – here's why

talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino has explained why Ollie Watkins was his choice for Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year.

Manchester City star Phil Foden was named the winner of the award this week, with Arsenal's Declan Rice second and Rodri third.

All three players have enjoyed excellent seasons for their respective clubs, with City and Arsenal both Premier League title contenders.

However, watkins It has also been crucial for the fight for the Champions League. Aston Villa and got the former Chelsea striker Cascarinos vote.

Speaking on GameDay Breakfast, he revealed his thinking behind the decision as he reflected on how the top three rank first and second in the Premier League.

“They've all had great seasons, but I still think Ollie Watkins would still be my number one. I think what he's done this year, and he hasn't taken a penalty, his assists, his goals, his consistency has been extraordinary.” .

“I think that's why… if we said at the start of the season that Manchester City would win the league or be definitely first or second, that's obvious.

“At Arsenal we feel quite good about the signing of Declan Rice that they would do very well again and improve compared to last year, that has already happened.

“Do we think Villa could finish fourth? There's no chance, how many people thought Villa could finish fourth?

“Villa are a good team, they are a good team, I know they had a bad defeat in midweek (against Olympiacos) but it is a very united team, because of the way they play, you can feel that unity between the players. “I think Ollie Watkins has been their standout player.”

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Watkins has scored 19 Premier League goals for Villa so far this season, putting him in fourth place in the title race. the golden boot.

He has also assisted 12 other goals for his teammates and ranks first for overall contributions in the English top flight with 31.

As a result, it appears the 28-year-old will be called up to the England squad for Euro 2024 this summer, a reward for an excellent individual campaign at club level.

Villa are currently fourth and seven points ahead of Tottenham in the Champions League race with three games left to play.

Achieving that result would allow them to return to the top of European football for the first time since 1983, and Watkins played a huge role in the achievement.