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England forward Ollie Watkins is so averse to the public spotlight that he no longer goes shopping, but knows his profile is only going to get bigger. The Aston Villa striker has earned a recall to the England squad for forthcoming games against Australia and Italy after his season burst into life with four goals in two games at the end of last month. Watkins, who was not included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the September games, does not feel comfortable walking around his local supermarket. But he also accepts that if he keeps banging in the goals for Villa and England, he is only going to get more attention. “I go under the radar, maybe,” the 27-year-old admitted. “I’m not talked about enough profile-wise. But I know I have been producing on the pitch since Unai Emery came in. But I do go under the radar. “I don’t know if it’s me being at Villa. You get some players that are just likeable and out there. I’m not really too fussed about that. “I just like playing football. Maybe a lot of people said to me I need to push my profile. But I am happy with what I am doing on the pitch and that’s all that matters to me. “The bigger you are, the more you are in the spotlight. It’s not that I don’t want that, it is doing my job. If I am doing my job and playing well, my profile will raise naturally. “I remember when I moved from Brentford to Villa, I used to just go and shop in Sainsbury’s normal at Brentford. “I came to try to do it at Villa and I couldn’t. I came home and I was fuming and I said to my missus I am never going out again, you will have to do the shop. “Since then I don’t do the shopping, I don’t get ‘bothered’ but a lot of people want photos. “I had my earphones in and people were like – they take two looks – is that him? When I see that people have clocked me, normally I try to avoid (them). Not because I don’t want to interact with them…once one person asks for a photo then two or three do and it’s hard to do shopping.” I’m not talked about enough profile-wise. I do go under the radar Ollie Watkins Watkins believes the arrival of Villa boss Emery last year was the catalyst for kick-starting his career. “Definitely, under (Steven) Gerrard, I know he played me all the time – I’ve played under all managers – but I wasn’t really getting the best out of my game,” he said. “That wasn’t down to him, I had just kind of fallen into a rut, but I feel like I have gone on a different path and really focused on being a striker. “Before I was trying to do everything, trying to cross it and get on the end of my own cross and head it. Now I am just focused, being the main man. “He put a lot of faith in me and gave me confidence to go out and perform, just focusing on scoring goals and helping the team. “I definitely felt like, I came from Brentford, I scored a lot of goals and in my first year I did well and then I found I hit a little bit of a rut. “It is hard. When you are in that rut, you don’t know where you are going to end up or what is going to happen. “I didn’t see my career anywhere else but Villa but it was hard to try and get out of the rut when it wasn’t going great for me.” Read More Harry Maguire supported by ‘role model’ David Beckham after Hampden experience I want to play – Harry Maguire admits lack of matches will become an issue Conor McGregor closes in on UFC return by re-entering anti-doping test programme England rewatch Fiji Twickenham defeat to ‘fuel the fire’ for World Cup showdown Kieffer Moore bags a brace as Wales put four past Gibraltar in Wrexham Steve Clarke confident Scotland’s best performance is good enough to match Spain

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Everton winger Jack Harrison took advice from Frank Lampard about the importance of having an on-field ego and believes he is reaping the benefits. The rookie professional had to pluck up the courage to knock on the experienced England international’s hotel room door when they were team-mates at New York City. He asked about confidence and Lampard, who was sacked as Everton manager six months before Harrison arrived, spoke to him about ego and self-belief. It is advice he has carried with him since moving back to England with Leeds and now on loan at Goodison Park. His confidence was boosted further by his maiden Everton goal – a brilliant instinctive lob over Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto – in only his third appearance in which the wise words of Lampard probably played some part. “I remember going to Frank’s room one time, knocking on his door asking for advice on certain mentality, how to be. I sat in his room and just chatted for half-an-hour,” said Harrison, who gained more valuable information after four seasons with Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road. “I think having that ego and confidence on the pitch was something that maybe challenged me a little bit. It was difficult for me to bring out. “But after talking to Frank (he said) it was something he applied to himself. When you step out on that pitch he used to tell himself he was the best player. “It doesn’t have to be in a nasty way or anything but it’s definitely important to have. “I was watching an interview Zlatan Ibrahimovic did where he said he felt like God when he was on the pitch. Maybe I’m not at that level but it’s nice to hear similar stories. “When you are lining up against Mo Salah you have to do your best against them. That mentality, feeling like you belong, is a big part of it.” Harrison’s two seasons in New York playing alongside Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Silva and managed by Patrick Vieira were formative but after being brought home by Manchester City his real development came at Leeds. Bielsa’s methods were so intense the 26-year-old still has ‘flashbacks’. “It was beyond anything I’d seen before,” said Harrison ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby. “Because everything was so regimented and we were working so hard the three years almost flew by. I don’t think in all of that time I took a step back to really enjoy playing with him. “Looking back now, I just wish I enjoyed it a little bit more in the moment but I’m super grateful. “It has made me the player I am today working with him, building those foundations when I first came back to England. “I know what the standard is. If I’m ever struggling or lose sight of where I need to be, I can always go back to that time. “Sometimes even on a day off I will have in the back of my mind, ‘OK, I need to do something today.’ Some of the guys here (at Everton) will say ‘Bielsa has drilled you so much’. “It is a good kind of characteristic to have in your back pocket just in case you need it.” For all the football input the biggest influence on his career is mum Debbie, who took him away from Liverpool’s academy when he was a six and Manchester United’s when he was 14 to send him to a United States boarding school for a better chance of success. “Her providing me with that opportunity at the time was definitely outside the box. I was an only child and she was a single mother. I have to give all the credit to my mum,” said Harrison. “Coming back to England I wanted to do everything I could to repay here for that, be it a house or a car or she doesn’t have to work any more. “Going to New York and playing professionally for the first time I was really thankful to my mum because there were a lot of people saying ‘Oh why didn’t you stay at Man United?’. “I’d always had that in the back of my mind because I’d seen the likes of Scott McTominay come up and absolutely smash it with the first team. I did think, ‘What could have happened if I’d stayed at United?’. “But as soon as I made it to New York and saw where I was it gave me a different perspective where I was able to thrive. “At that point I thought ‘It doesn’t matter what would have happened, this is my path now’. There’s nothing you can do about the past so you have to keep looking forward.” Read More Tom Curry counting on experience against South Africa for World Cup semi-final Eddie Howe insists Newcastle are committed long-term to Sandro Tonali The World Cup final beckons: talking points ahead of England-South Africa Mikel Arteta hails career-long support of ‘big brother’ Mauricio Pochettino Emma Raducanu to keep ‘provoking and asking questions’ of coaches on her return Rugby World Cup: How England fared in their previous semi-finals

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Nate Diaz has said he knows the ‘secret’ to Jake Paul’s success as a boxer, while warning the YouTube star: ‘I’m in on it, too.’ UFC icon Diaz, 38, will make his professional boxing debut on Saturday, facing Paul in Dallas, Texas. The bout will mark Diaz’s first fight since leaving the UFC in September, when he submitted Tony Ferguson. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Paul last fought in February, suffering his first loss as he was beaten on points by Tommy Fury. Prior to that result, American Paul was unbeaten with wins over ex-UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, as well as mixed martial arts star Ben Askren. Paul knocked out Askren, beat Woodley on points then via knockout in a rematch, before defeating Silva via decision. Addressing his compatriot’s boxing career ahead of their fight this weekend, Diaz said on Wednesday (2 August): “The thing about him is, he knows that MMA fighters can’t box and they’re in over their heads trying to box, because he went in there and worked a bunch over in training and in fights. “MMA fighters don’t know this, but the only thing about that is: I’m in on the same secret, and I’ve been in on that since I was 15. I’m not your average wrestler, MMA fighter. “I didn’t wrestle. When these guys he fought were in the wrestling room at five, six, seven, 10, 15 years old, I was boxing the whole neighbourhood, boxing every pro I could find. I was boxing the highest level I could find, my whole career.” As a mixed martial artist, Diaz is best known for his jiu-jitsu skills, although his volume striking and cardio also characterised his UFC run. In contrast, Woodley and Askren were predominantly wrestlers, although Silva is seen by many as the greatest striker in MMA history. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend The hidden side of Jake Paul Amanda Serrano announces surprise return to MMA with PFL

Cade McNamara threw for two touchdowns and freshman Kamari Moulton scored twice after halftime in his debut, helping No. 25 Iowa beat Western Michigan 41-10