Troy Deeney thinks Gareth Southgate’s selection policy is off.
Deeney has claimed that the England manager is wrong to continue calling up players from so-called big clubs even if they’re not starting every week.
The criticism comes after the Watford striker rejected the opportunity to represent Jamaica internationally on two occasions in the hope of eventually making his debut for his native England.
And the 30-year-old sounds convinced that he would already be a regular feature in Southgate’s squad if he was playing for a bigger club than Watford.
“I think his response was interesting, that he’s good enough for Watford but not for us, that message comes across that anyone who plays for a lesser team that doesn’t plays a certain style of football isn’t going to be good enough for England,” Deeney said on The Premier League Show.
“If you look at a Danny Ings, Glenn Murray, Callum Wilson, we would probably all be arguing well what do I need to be in the team?
“Because no offence to Danny Welbeck, I’ve got a lot of time for Danny Welbeck, but he’s not playing but he’s still being picked, so is it a case that it’s just the team?”
Deeney has already found the net on two occasions in the Hornets’ remarkable start to the season, which has seen them win four of their five Premier League games.
The forward puts a lot of his recent success this term down to his noticeably slimmer physique. Deeney was motivated to lose weight after being mocked in the early weeks of the campaign.
“I got up on my 30th birthday and went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror and thought ‘ooft, is this what it has come to? It was the first time I’d looked at my body and I wasn’t happy with what I was seeing,” Deeney said.
“This season I’ve been written off and people have called me fat so I’ve thought I’ll show you. I just need to be motivated and stimulated mentally. I know I can do anything if I put my mind to it.”
