Watford Captain Troy Deeney has admitted he was playing trying to "be a hero" by playing with an injury to his knee.

On Thursday afternoon, head coach Javi Gracia said the skipper would be unavailable for at least two months after undergoing knee surgery, before Deeney himself admitted via social media he had tried to play through the pain barrier for the last few weeks.

In a post on his Instagram account, Deeney said: "So after 3/4 weeks of trying to be the hero and play with discomfort and pain like a tit we decided to sort the issues out one and for all. Thanks for the messages now it’s time to rest up, and mentally prepare myself to get back to help the squad."