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Ollie Watkins, who used to be a shoe-in for England squads, was left out of Thomas Tuchel's most recent Three Lions squads in March, which was a reflection on his struggle for form at the time.

By his own admission, Tuchel's decision to leave him out gave Watkins a "fire in his belly" which has helped him return to fine form, scoring 10 goals in all competitions since the most recent international break.

It is not certain that Watkins' recent form will be enough to see him return to the England squad - especially given the performances from the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck - but the 30 year-old is once again the standout candidate to be Harry Kane's deputy in North America.

It is fair to say that the biggest question surrounding Ezri Konsa and England is whether he will be in the starting line-up for the World Cup, rather than in the squad itself - which feels like a certainty at this point.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings, who last played for his country in 2023 and has not featured in any of Thomas Tuchel’s four squads this season.

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Scoring in a final, winning the Europa League and being chosen to represent your country at the biggest sporting competition in the world - what a week that would be for Morgan Rogers!

Like Ollie Watkins, Rogers has struggled in parts of this season - but has certainly showed Thomas Tuchel enough to save him a seat on the plane.

A goal in European final shows that Rogers can be counted on in the big moments.

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After the Europa League celebrations draw to a close, there is a small matter of the World Cup on the horizon for plenty of the Aston Villa players.

Many international sides have already announced the squads they will be taking to North America, but Thomas Tuchel's announcement for the England squad is not until tomorrow.

Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and Tyrone Mings will be keeping an eye out for the announcements, amidst their Europa League celebrations and preparations for Sunday's match.

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Emi Buendia admits his Europa League heroics justify rejecting moves to leave Aston Villa.

The Argentina international scored and set up Morgan Rogers' clinching third goal as Villa swept Freiburg aside in Wednesday's final.

The 29-year-old was Villa's man of the match in Istanbul, having scored a brilliant second goal just before half time to put Villa in control.

Buendia's future was in doubt 12 months ago with the club open to selling him following a low-key loan at Bayer Leverkusen in the second half of last season but he remained determined to stay.

"Yeah, there could be that chance (to leave) but I always tried to refuse everything," said Buendia, who signed from Norwich for £38m in 2021.

"I wanted to stay here, I wanted to play for this club. If the chance never come maybe the ways will be different but I think until the last moment I could play for this club and achieve good things.

"I worked so much for this. I've been working in everything to have a night like this."

Buendia also missed the 2023-24 season with a serious knee injury but has fought back to become a key part of Unai Emery's team.

He said: "I've had some very bad moments, I've been very low, injuries, finding myself in a difficult momentum to play more often, but I kept believing in myself all the time.

"I always trusted my work ethic and also I always thought I could be important for this club and team. I have to enjoy it."

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Villa defender Matty Cash believes winning the Europa League will be a watershed moment for the club.

He said: "Yeah, for sure, I think so. I think when you experience these moments together as a team, it makes you stronger, definitely. Last year we got beat in the quarter-finals (of the Champions League), the season before that we got beaten in the semis (of the Conference League).

"It's a big moment for the club, we've made history. It's been such a long time [without a trophy].

"Obviously, the last few years we've nearly got there and we executed the game plan well, we looked like an experienced team, we looked like we'd played these games before.

"But I think we gained experience from it as a team. It is pretty much a similar team, a few additions. To get to this moment, it is obvious that we have learned from the past."

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Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris believes the "sky's the limit" for the club after their Europa League triumph.

Unai Emery guided Villa to their first trophy in 30 years with a commanding 3-0 win over Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Wes Edens and Sawiris bought a controlling stake in Villa in 2018 when they were in the Championship and after victory at Besiktas Park

"The sky's the limit," he said, after goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers.

"Amazing. It means a lot. I can't express myself with words. Very special. An eight-year ride, and we saw today what hard work can do with Unai's effort and the whole team. An amazing win."

Sawiris and Edens brought Emery to the club in 2022, replacing Steven Gerrard when the club was three points above the relegation zone.

Emery has delivered European football every season, but it is his first trophy with Villa - and his fifth Europa League title.

While you are still trying to get your head around that potential play-off for Champions League football, we've got some more reaction to bring you from Aston Villa, starting with their co-owner...

Ask Me Anything

Bournemouth have qualified for European football for the first time in their history, and next season and will host a minimum of four European matches at the Vitality Stadium.

The Cherries will feature in the league phase of either the Champions League or Europa League, with the exact competition to be decided on the final day of the Premier League season.

At a capacity of around 11,300 people, the club's stadium is the smallest in the Premier League by more than 6,000 seats, meaning that it would rank among the smallest stadiums in recent history to host Champions League matches should they qualify for the tournament.

While some speculation online suggests otherwise, Bournemouth have told BBC Sport that they have the necessary Uefa licence to host league phase matches in either competition.

In circumstances where teams' home stadiums do not have the necessary licence to host matches, they will often use nearby grounds that do meet Uefa's requirements in order to fulfill fixtures.

During the 2024-25 season, Welsh side The New Saints played their home Conference League fixtures at Shrewsbury Town's ground.

A season earlier, German side Union Berlin had to play their Champions League matches at the home of city rivals Hertha Berlin for the same reason.

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Although it is unlikely, there is a scenario in which Liverpool and Bournemouth could be forced into an end-of-season play-off for Champions League qualification.

As it stands, Liverpool are three points and six goals better off than the Cherries.

However, if Liverpool were to lose 1-0 to Brentford and Bournemouth were to beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 - a result that did happen in January 2025 - it would create a never-before-seen situation in the Premier League.

That’s because both teams’ goals scored and goals conceded would be identical, as would their head-to-head points and goals scored against each other.

It couldn’t happen… could it?

After Bournemouth's 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Tuesday which ensured they qualified for European football for the first time in their history, departing boss Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports: "At the beginning of the season you didn't imagine it. It has been so nice and we have a chance to fight for the Champions League in the last game and we really deserve this, especially for the game we played so well.

"We have not won the game but it does not matter. I've enjoyed it so much, how we played and the personality we showed. We had great chances to score the second one and we wanted to win the game, but I've enjoyed it.

"Today has been a good reflection of the club. I'm very happy for the club, the players, the supporters and the staff. It's the best way to finish with something you can touch I can't ask for anything more.

"Pep [Guardiola] is the top of the top. He has won everything. It was a difficult game for them, they played three days ago with the tension of a final. We made them play a difficult game and they were obviously tired but they have this quality. It makes it even more nice when you play like this against an opposition that are so good.

"We have a special group of players. They are consistent and always there. Right now there is nothing about my future in my head, I just want to celebrate and push it. We have Europa League, next let's maximise our options. Can we take the last Champions League spot?

"I still don't know where I will go but I'm in no rush, let's finish on a high."

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The Premier League season draws to a close on Sunday afternoon, and the race for Champions League qualification will go right down to the wire.

As it stands, there will be five English teams in next season’s Champions League, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool set to join Premier League champions Arsenal.

However, Bournemouth or Brighton could yet find themselves mixing it with Europe’s elite if Liverpool are able to leapfrog Aston Villa on the final day of the season.

The Reds - who have won only two of their last five Premier League games - host Brentford at Anfield, while Aston Villa travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

If Liverpool beat Brentford and Villa lose at City, then they will finish above the Europa League winners due to a superior goal difference.

If Villa finish fifth, it means the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League - either Bournemouth or Brighton - would earn a spot in next season’s Champions League.

The Cherries need to avoid defeat against Nottingham Forest to guarantee a top-six finish.

However, Brighton would need to beat Manchester United and hope Bournemouth lose in order to finish sixth.

Premier League

Here are the final day fixtures in all their glory:

• Brighton v Manchester United
• Burnley v Wolves
• Crystal Palace v Arsenal
• Fulham v Newcastle
• Liverpool v Brentford
• Manchester City v Aston Villa
• Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth
• Sunderland v Chelsea
• Tottenham v Everton
• West Ham v Leeds

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Ask Me Anything

The only way England will have six spots in the Champions League is if Villa were to finish in fifth place.

England's five spots would be made up of the top four Premier League clubs and sixth, as Villa's qualification would technically be as the winners of the Europa League and not as a Premier League qualifier.

Bournemouth are currently in sixth place and would secure a top-six finish by avoiding defeat at Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.

The Cherries can finish fifth, but would need to win and hope Liverpool lose to Brentford, as well as a significant swing in goal difference.

However, if Villa do finish in the top four, having won the Europa League, England will miss out on the chance of having six English clubs. Instead, the top five would be England's five representatives in the competition.

In this scenario, Portuguese side Sporting would be moved from the third qualifying round to the league phase. Sporting are the highest-ranked team via Uefa's club coefficient rankings to have earned a qualifying round spot for next season's competition.

Keifer MacDonald
BBC Sport

I’m sure it wasn’t just in Birmingham that Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph was celebrated.

Fans of Bournemouth and Brighton are likely basking in the glory of Unai Emery’s side too, as it could have significant ramifications for what their clubs can achieve on the final day of the Premier League season.

There is a scenario in which the team that finishes sixth - either the Cherries or the Seagulls - will qualify for the Champions League.

I know it’s not even midday yet, but it will take some mental gymnastics to explain the current state of play in the race for Europe heading into the final day.

Brace yourselves…

Brad Friedel
Ex-Aston Villa on BBC Radio 5 Live

If Aston Villa can have two more seasons in the Champions League, that will increase their revenue again and they will be able to improve their squad even further.

The trick for them now is holding on to everyone if they can and building from there. If they can do that, they will be one of the teams who can be in the top four places for a long time