Watford forward Troy Deeney has insisted that he will be remaining with the Hornets next season and that he is determined to play a key part for them in the Premier League.

Deeney has endured something of an injury-hit campaign in the Championship this season, and he has only been able to make 18 league appearances in which he has registered seven goals. His last appearance for the Hornets came back at the start of February in a goalless draw away at Coventry City. Since then, Watford have managed to go on an excellent run to clinch promotion.

The forward has confirmed that he is now back to fitness from an Achilles problem and could even feature in their final game of the campaign against Swansea City. That would be a potential major boost for the Hornets as they aim to end an excellent second half of the season in style.

Writing in his latest column for The Sun, Deeney revealed that he still feels he has plenty to offer to Watford and that he will be remaining with them in the Premier League next season. He also insisted he is going to be working harder than ever in pre-season so that he can have a strong chance of starting regularly next term.

He wrote: “I’ve heard all the talk since Watford’s promotion back to the Premier League.

“I’ll be 33 this summer, I’ve missed a large chunk of the season through injury, I’ve been doing a lot of media work, so I won’t be playing a lot of football next season, right? Wrong.

I’m not angry about all these suggestions. I’m smirking and I’m using it all as motivation.

“People can underestimate me and assume my career is winding down but I am very far from done.

“I’m back to fitness after tearing my Achilles and calf and I’m hoping to feature in our final match of the season against Swansea.

“Then I’m going to train all summer and attack the new season head-on.

“Normally I have a summer blow-out, then go through hell in pre-season to get myself back into shape.

“But not this summer. I am still under contract at Watford and I have never been so determined to be in tip-top condition to get into the team for the start of next season.

“People are far too quick to write off players when they are over 30. But although I’m not slow, I don’t have electric pace and I do have a decent football brain.

“There is no reason why I can’t play at the top level for a good few seasons yet.

“I scored 10 goals in 27 games during our last Premier League season and that is not a bad record in a relegated side.”

The verdict

This is encouraging news for the Hornets, with Deeney a player who has proven himself time and time again to be a key player at Vicarage Road. Life has not always been smooth for him and he has had to overcome difficult moments already within his career with Watford and therefore you would not back against him doing that again after his injury issues this term.

Whilst Watford have performed excellently to get themselves promoted in Deeney’s absence, his presence and influence on the side in and around the dressing room can not be understated. If he is fit and firing for them in the top-flight next term, then that certainly gives them a much better chance of establishing themselves back at that level.

Deeney is almost a different sort of player when he is fired up and has a point to prove, it seems that by his latest comments he is in that sort of frame of mind now heading into next season. You would not back against him coming back into the fold and firing in some very important goals for them in the Premier League once again.