I clattered Man City's John Stones on purpose – after what he did, he deserved it

Troy Deeney has candidly discussed his attempts to make a mark in his first Premier League game for Watford.

On That Peter Crouch Podcast, the former forward shared how the anticipation and thrill of playing in the Premier League led him to an action he instantly regretted. Born in Birmingham, Deeney spent 12 years at Watford, where he netted 131 goals in 389 appearances.

He later had a successful stint at Birmingham City, scoring 11 times in 55 outings for the Blues. Now, the ex-striker has spilled the beans on Crouch's podcast about a moment when he tackled a current Man City star too hard and immediately regretted it.

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On the podcast, Deeney revealed that in the lead-up to his first Premier League season, he was consumed with being prepared for the opening day. He said: "You know know that pre-season, yeah, all you're thinking about is this game one, like first day it's all the runs and it's like get it done because you got to be ready for day one and all of that."

He then detailed an incident involving John Stones, then of Everton, and even explained why he acted as he did. Deeney continued: "I don't know, all the excitement, just the build up built up and I remember I smashed John Stones and, I love John, but like he was at Everton and he was like being linked with City for 50 mil and he was just playing casually out from the back and I thought oh you're getting it.", reports the Express.

The striker discussed his apprehension during the match when he challenged Stones: "As soon as the ball was gone I've