Old school, roughs people up — he really is a menace

WHEN I see Troy Deeney on the Watford team sheet, I always think the central defensive pairing are in for a difficult afternoon. When he’s firing — like he is now — he is a handful. Old school, roughs people up, doesn’t give them a moment. Why shouldn’t he get a chance with England? At 30, he looks in great shape, although I would ask why was he overweight before? There’s no excuse for that.

England’s loss of Jamie Vardy shouldn’t have happened because they are now short of cover for Harry Kane up front. It’s alarming. You can mention Danny

Welbeck or Marcus Rashford as cover, but they don’t play regularly for their clubs and when they do, how often do they play in the No 9 role? Deeney is there every week, playing at the highest level and showing good form. He’s a strong boy and when he’s enjoying his football, he is a menace. Not every Watford manager appreciates his qualities, but this one seems to. Javi Gracia

calls him ‘the heartbeat of the club’. When you study his background, it’s unconventional — starting at Chelmsley Town, playing for Halesowen Town on loan and then moving from Walsall to Watford, where he has now scored more than 100 goals. I wrote in The Verdict on Sunday about Glenn Murray’s impact on Brighton and he might be another player Gareth

Southgate has to think about. He is four years older than Deeney. Tammy Abraham has been picked before — so, too, Dominic Solanke. And Daniel Sturridge might come back into the frame. But do any of these players deserve to be picked more than Deeney? If he keeps scoring goals, the England manager might not be able to ignore him.