Troy Deeney responds to Watkins' social media jibe after Arsenal match-winner

Troy Deeney has played down any suggestions of a rift between him and Ollie Watkins following the latter's social media post on Sunday.

Watkins scored a sublime second in Aston Villa's 2-0 win at Arsenal at the weekend, and notably took to social media to post: 'Not bad for a winger trying to be a striker,' followed by a shush-ing emoji and mentioned Deeney in the comment.

It was in reference to the former Watford striker's words on talkSPORT earlier in the season, when Deeney suggested he would take Ivan Toney to the European Championship over Watkins, claiming the former is a more 'out-and-out' No 9.

'With Ollie, this is going to sound negative but I promise you it is not, he is a winger trying to be a striker,' he said to talkSPORT

While Watkins was evidently aware of the comments and took to Instagram to have his say, Deeney was quick to underline that there was no bad blood between the two, and even suggested the Villa forward 'did his job' in 'giving a bit back to me'.

'Life's miserable - I make a comment about Ollie Watkins and three weeks later he scores a goal against Arsenal and he wants to bring it up, like grow up!' Deeney told Mail Sport. 'I never said you weren't good or that you were bad. I just said you were a winger. I looked at him at Exeter and I looked at him at Brentford and he was a winger.

'The original question was who I would take to the Euros, him or Ivan Toney. I said I'd take Ivan because he's a more out-and-out striker. If you look at Ollie's history. He plays to the left, he did at Exeter and Brentford and now at Villa. That's all I was saying. When you break it down like that it makes sense.

'I know Ollie and I hope he'll understand it. He did exactly what he was supposed to, he scored and gave