Watford striker Troy Deeney has issued his verdict on this weekend’s opponents Aston Villa as the Hornets gear up for life back in the Premier League. Xisco Munoz’s side host Villa at Vicarage Road on Saturday, having made an instant return to the top flight, while the visitors will be beginning life without Jack Grealish after his £100million move to Manchester City. Deeney says losing Grealish to Manchester City represents a huge blow to Dean Smith’s side but he admits the club’s summer transfer business has softened the blow.
Troy Deeney said: “Villa are going to be a tough test. They’ve lost Jack [Grealish] which is great [for us] but they’ve gone and replaced him with some unbelievable talent. We have to be ready for a new challenge every week in the Premier League and standards have to be raised.”
Deeney will be hoping to feature on a regular basis for Watford, having been troubled by injuries over the past year. The 33-year-old scored seven goals in 19 appearances as Munoz led the Hornets to promotion, having taken over from former boss Vladimir Ivic midway through the campaign. Watford lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace over the weekend in their final warm-up game, following games against Doncaster, West Brom and Stevenage earlier in the summer. Despite the defeat to the Eagles, Deeney says the team are looking sharp and are raring to go for 2021/22.
Troy Deeney said: “Some of the new boys got a feel of what the Premier League action will be like. Obviously the tempo wasn’t to the full capacity, but with the crowd and everything, it was good. It’s about the tempo and the quality. We played Doncaster and Stevenage, no disrespect to those teams, they helped us out in terms of getting games, but they don’t have the quality they [Palace] have. When we made mistakes, which we did in those games, we got away with it a lot of the time. When you’re in the Prem you don’t get away with it.
Deeney, who is entering his 12th season in a row as a Watford player,
Troy Deeney added: “I wanted to build up in this pre-season. Everyone’s been talking about how I’ve lost a lot of weight but it’s more about being injury free. I’m happy and just ready for next week now. It’s about getting sharp, getting ready and expectant.”
