Troy Deeney opens up on family being abused after raising concerns over Project Restart

Watford captain Troy Deeney was among several players in the Premier League who raised concerns about Premier League's Project Restart. Despite the threat due to the coronavirus pandemic still looming large in the UK and across Europe, the Premier League is determined to resume the season. Players like Troy Deeney, Newcastle United's on-loan defender Danny Rose and Man City star Sergio Aguero have all expressed their concerns over the Premier League restart. Deeney refused to resume training as he cited concerns over infecting his five-month-old baby.

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Troy Deeney family abused by enraged fans

Earlier this week, Troy Deeney stated that his opinion against resuming the season has not gone down well with the fans. Deeney revealed some fans targetted his family, especially his five-month-old baby, and he was abused by some enraged fans. "I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: 'I hope your son gets corona[virus],'" Troy Deeney said during an interview with CNN Sport. "That's the hard part for me. If you respond to that, people then go: 'Ah, we've got him' and they keep doing it."

Apart from abusing his family, Deeney says many fans claimed he was against restarting the Premier League season because his side, Watford, were lying at the bottom of the table and are likely to be relegated.

With players receiving backlash for standing against Premier League restart, Deeney believes they will be cautious in expressing their concerns and thoughts going forward. "In a time where it's all about mental health and everyone says: 'Speak up, speak out, please speak,' Danny Rose spoke out and I spoke out and we just get absolutely hammered and battered for it," Troy Deeney added.

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On Wednesday, Premier League clubs unanimously approved stage two of the league's 'Return to Training protocol', where teams can resume contact training. The protocols were approved after consultation with the clubs, players, managers, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the League Managers' Associaton (LMA) and the UK government. Squads will now be allowed to train as a group and tackling will also be allowed during training while minimising unnecessary close contact. Premier League's statement noted 1,008 players and staff members were tested for COVID-19; four have tested positive from three clubs.

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While a Premier League restart in the month of June appears to the likeliest outcome, Troy Deeney believes the pandemic has ruined the 2019-20 season. The Watford captain said Liverpool deserve to be crowned Premier League champions after their stellar season. However, per the striker, the pandemic means fans will remember this season for its abrupt nature and not Liverpool's "marathon" season. "I feel sorry for Liverpool because no matter how it plays out, they deserve to win the league. They deserve to get the trophy. But no matter how it plays out, even if we play all the games, it's still going to be the year spoiled by the pandemic," he concluded.

Also Read | Premier League Restart: Watford's Troy Deeney Refuses To Train, Says Can't Risk Infection Around 5-month-old Baby