WATFORD STAR PENA GETS HIS SHOT AT GLORY

RISING Watford star Adalberto Penaranda has revealed he came within an inch of oblivion after he was shot in the leg.

The Hornets dodged a bullet in the FA Cup on Friday night, reaching the quarter-finals after a stodgy 1-0 win at QPR with Venezuelan boy wonder Penaranda on the bench.

But it is a career that almost never was when, as a 17-year-old, he was shot in a gun raid at a friend’s house in South America.

Miraculously, the damage was only superficial. But the ordeal convinced him to flee the increasingly lawless neighbourhood where he grew up because he feared his family would be kidnapped.

And after being picked up by Watford owner Gino Pozzo’s worldwide scouting network, which has become the envy of many top clubs, Penaranda’s work permit to play in England was granted earlier this season and he can count his blessings.

He said: “When I was 17, I got shot in the leg. I was in a friend’s house with a few other football players and we were just chatting when these guys came in with weapons and just started shooting at us.

“My friend Charlys Ortiz was shot in the arm and I was shot in the leg – the bullet went through here [the inside of the left leg] and out here [lower side of the left thigh]. It was a very painful moment. I was lucky it wasn’t a big injury, but I went to the hospital and there was a lot of blood.

“They cleaned the wound, I had antiinflammatory tablets and bandages, but no surgery. Fortunately, it didn’t touch the muscle.”

Penaranda, now 21, was shocked to learn it could have been fatal if the bullet had ruptured his femoral artery, one of the major blood-carrying channels from the heart.

Gun violence is all too common in Venezuela, and he said: “It’s always been tough to live there, especially over the last few years. Things have got worse, especially crime.

“Some people are just jealous of football players because they see them as rich people. Luckily, I didn’t touch any weapons or drugs, but I’ve seen lots of things.”

When

Penaranda was snapped up by Pozzo’s Spanish club Granada in 2015 – where he became the youngest player since Lionel Messi to score twice in a La Liga game, aged 18 – he advised his father, a mechanic, and his mother, a cleaner, to join him in Europe.

As his career blossomed Penaranda (above) was a star turn at the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 but he feared his parents would be kidnapped and held to ransom.

He said: “I told them to quit. They made so many sacrifices for me, borrowing money to let me go to training sessions. They made everything possible. Now it’s my turn to look after them.”

PAUL SCHOLES says he may call on old pal Gary Neville for advice, even though he made a hash of his management job.Neville lasted only four months as Valencia boss, losing 11 of his 28 games.But new Oldham gaffer Scholes said the former England full-back has been too harshly criticised for his failure.“Gary was very brave to manage in Spain when he didn’t speak the language,” Scholes said.“His results weren’t as bad as people seem to think. Obviously they were a big club but they were playing against quality teams, so it was really difficult.“He worked with Roy Hodgson at England so he has good experience and he’s always on the end of the phone for advice if I want it.”