Watford striker Troy Deeney recently claimed that he won’t return to training unless the Coronavirus pandemic is dealt with.
Now the Premier League attacker has changed his stance after a chat with Professor Jonathan van Tam, who works with the government.
The Watford star has a newborn child in his home who has been suffering from breathing difficulties. It is understandable why Deeney did not want to put his son’s health at risk by returning to training.
There is always a chance he can carry the virus into his home and his concern is perfectly legitimate.
It will be interesting to see how he prepares himself for the restart of the season next month.
Watford are fighting for their survival and they will need their captain in good form.
Deeney must prepare himself mentally and deliver on the pitch.
The Premier League forward’s comments did not go down too well with the fans and he received a lot of abuse on social media.
His family was a target of online abuse as well.
Speaking to the media, Deeney said: “In a time where it’s all about mental health and everyone says: ‘Speak up, speak out, please speak,’… For example, Danny Rose spoke out, and I spoke out and we just get absolutely hammered and battered for it.
“It’s not just us that gets it. My missus gets direct messages and you’ll be walking down the street and people will be like: ‘Oh, I’m at work, you go back to work’.
Even the likes of Danny Rose also claimed a few weeks ago that footballers are being treated as lab rats and football should be suspended for now. But at the same time many across the top European leagues hoped football to be back soon. With Bundesliga already in second week and the other league preparing to be back at war footing, it seems its only matter of days.
