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Watford striker, Troy Deeney is facing another four-match ban – which would mean him missing 11 games out of 20 through suspension. Deeney was snapped aiming a single-digit gesture after opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the Hornets’ stunning 4-1 against Chelsea on Monday night.

And in a post-match radio interview, the Watford captain claimed it was a token of defiance, saying: “Obviously we have had a lot of transfer talk and speculation. I’ve kept quiet because I realise talking gets me in trouble.

“That was a case of letting everyone know I saw everything and I am still here.”

But that is unlikely to save him from another brush with the FA’s disciplinary hawks, who could now hit him with a two-match ban for an insulting gesture – plus two more games on top because of his red card against Huddersfield and retrospective suspension for gouging Stoke midfielder Joe Allen’s cheeks before Christmas.

If Deeney is charged, the Hornets might argue that a four-match ban for a fleeting gesture would be excessive.

But he risks missing games against West Ham, Everton, West Brom and Arsenal if the FA throw the book at him.