Aston Villa have been dealt an injury concern ahead of their Premier League clash against Tottenham on Sunday, after the player himself had claimed he was fine.

The Villans have found form after a troublesome start to the campaign, winning four on the bounce in all competitions since the 1-1 draw away at Sunderland in September.

Still, there is concern over Unai Emery’s attacking systems and the lack of chances created so far this season, with striker Ollie Watkins searching for form and Morgan Rogers struggling to the point he was sarcastically cheered by his own fans for simply completing a pass in the match against Bologna.

Now, the Villans’ attacking depth has taken a further hit, as Watkins has been ruled out of England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

The striker, who is surprisingly not one of Aston Villa’s highest earners on £130,000-a-week, suffered an injury during Thursday’s 3-0 win against Wales when he collided with the post as he attempted to score his second goal of the game. He continued until half-time but was taken off and replaced by Marcus Rashford.

After the game, he said he was “OK” as he limped through the mixed zone, but he has not recovered in time for Tuesday’s game in Riga and has returned to Villa for treatment in a bid to be fit for Sunday’s game at Spurs.

FA release Ollie Watkins statement before Latvia clash

A statement from the Football Association read: “Ollie Watkins has been ruled out of England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Latvia.

“The Aston Villa striker has not recovered from the knock sustained against Wales at Wembley on Thursday evening and has returned to his club.

“A squad of 22 will travel to Riga.”

Captain Harry Kane is expected to return, having missed the Wales friendly with an ankle problem sustained playing for Bayern Munich last weekend. Kane has scored 19 goals in 12 games for club and country this season and will be fancying his chances of adding to his tally against the 137th-ranked side.

If the Bayern striker is not fit, then Anthony Gordon could lead the line as he did in the second half against Wales. Thomas Tuchel’s side will qualify for the 2026 World Cup if they win in the Latvian capital.

They lead Group K with five wins from five and are yet to concede a goal, so the issue for Watkins seems to be of greater concern for his club than his country, with Emery already sweating over Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Youri Tielemans ahead of the return of domestic football this weekend.