Troy Deeney: Former Watford and Birmingham FC striker taken to hospital after boxing injury - will miss pool competition

Troy Deeney has been taken to hospital after suffering several injuries to his hand after an accident occurred while he was undertaking boxing training.

The former Watford and Birmingham City forward had been entered into the UK Open Pool Championship in Telford as a wildcard - now, however, he has been forced to pull out of the tournament.

Deeney said he is ‘truly gutted’ to have missed out on the competition. After visiting A&E, an X-ray revealed that he has dislocated two knuckles and has also suffered ligament damage in one of his hands.

As a footballer, Deeney spent the majority of his professional career at Watford. He made 389 league appearances for the Hornet over the span of 11 years, scoring 131 goals along the way. He also played for Chelmsley Town, Walsall and Forest Green Rovers.

His last role in a footballing capacity came as manager of Forest Green. His stint with the Green Army ended in controversy - he made headlines after he publicly criticised one of his players (Fantaky Dabo). Upon the time of his sacking, he had failed to win any of the six league games while he was in place.

Writing on his Instagram story, Deeney issued a statement following the incident: “It’s been a bad day. Truly gutted that I’ve had to pull out of the UK Open Pool Championship.

“A trip to A&E this morning has revealed I’ve got two dislocated knuckles and ligament damage in my hand after some boxing training this morning pre-event. I’m genuinely so frustrated as I was really looking forward to getting out there.

“Huge thank you to the World Nineball Tour and CueTec for the support in my preparation. And I wish everyone the best of luck at the tournament which I’m sure will be a huge success.”