First of all, I know what you’re going to say. Yes, I am a Watford fan but that’s not why I bring up the subject. The reason I’ve brought it up is because Ian Wright believes Deeney should be given a chance given Kane’s injury.

“When you play at a so-called unfashionable club such as Watford, a call-up for England means so much and has to be earned the hard way.”

Not sure if I agree with everything up there but there are valid reasons why Deeney should be included in Sam Allardyce’s squad.

Work Ethic

At the moment I have a huge problem with the England squad. The players are capable, most of our Euro 2016 squad had a great year in the Premier League. However, whilst you can say the pressure got to them in the summer I didn’t see enough in the way of work ethic.  Certainly not when you compare our team’s efforts to the Welsh national side. Of course, there are a few exceptions and we have more players now who do work hard for the team, Antonio being the first name that comes to mind. But then there are other players like Sterling who came back and instantly posted pictures of his million pound cars with a caption saying my team winning.

In my opinion, Deeney would add a lot of commitment and fight to the England squad. His work rate for Watford is nothing short of incredible and if you ask me I’d say that type of personality is contagious. I believe Ikechi Anya was quoted saying he doesn’t demand of anyone what he wouldn’t demand from himself. That is exactly the kind of character I would want in the England team.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Sport

Leadership

Another thing lacking in the England team, in my opinion, is leaders. Now I’m not calling for Deeney to be captain or anything like that. But you need a player who will take responsibility at times and even help out others in the team. Yes, Deeney has no international experience but he is more than just a captain at Watford, he is probably the most influential member of the team and staff. People say no player should be bigger than the manager but the Pozzos clearly hold Deeney in high regard. WD sport even reported that Deeney was present for Walter Mazzarri’s interview!

A different option

I don’t believe we have an option like Troy Deeney for the striker position. Kane probably comes closest due to his height but he wasn’t even deemed good enough at headers to be in the box and so instead took the corners! It’s well publicised that Deeney won the most aerial duels in the Premier League last year. As well as this his strength comes in handy when muscling defenders off the ball and holding the ball up.

Furthermore, last season he had the most assists out of any striker in the league due to his fantastic linking up play with Odion Ighalo. Deeney has worked well with many strike partners in the past, often showing selflessness in attack. I don’t see why Deeney and Vardy wouldn’t make a perfect combination. Vardy has blistering pace just like Vydra and Deeney knows how to get passes in behind for his strike partners. Sounds like a match made in heaven! I’m sure that’s exactly what Leicester were interested in when they bid £30 million for the Birmingham-born striker.

Your thoughts?

All that’s left is for me to ask whether I’ve done enough to persuade you? I’m always open to opinions so if you found this article got you thinking let me know.

Should Deeney receive an England call up?

Yes

No