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Troy Deeney defends Jack Grealish over coronavirus lockdown mistake: 'No-one hammered Mason Mount'

Getty Images
Getty Images

Watford forward Troy Deeney has defended Jack Grealish after the Aston Villa midfielder breached government coronavirus guidelines - suggesting Chelsea's Mason Mount has not faced the same level of scrutiny.

Grealish apologised for unnecessarily leaving his home after being photographed at the scene of a traffic accident which prompted a police investigation in March.

The 24-year-old said he was “deeply embarrassed”, explaining that he had ignored social distancing and lockdown measures to visit a friend at his house.

Deeney defended Grealish however, insisting initially unclear messages about the severity of the virus have not helped matters.

He told The United Stand: "Genuinely if you’re a young person – and when I say this it’s not right – if you’re a young person, you are literally going, based off everything you’ve been told.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

"'This virus doesn’t really affect me, I’m fit and healthy I’m gonna go out'. It’s not the right way to think, I don’t think like that, but I can understand people that do. Until it affects home, why are you going to change?"

Before stricter restrictions were introduced by the Prime Minister on March 24, Chelsea midfielder Mount issued an apology to the club after ignoring self-isolation guidelines by playing football with England team-mate Declan Rice at a five-a-side venue.

The midfielder was spotted at a football centre near Barnet despite Chelsea following government self-isolation advice after Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for coronavirus.

Mount is understood to have been reminded of his responsibilities, with the 21-year-old speaking to the members of the Chelsea hierarchy over the phone to make an apology.

But Deeney believes the England international's actions went 'under the radar.'

"Do you think he’s the only one out? Mason Mount, the first week of it, he’s at Power League. And that went under the radar, no-one hammering him.

(Action Images via Reuters)
(Action Images via Reuters)

"He ain’t being forced to come out and do big apologies, he just went, 'Ah should have done better sorry'."

Deeney admitted had he been in Grealish's position, he would have been tempted to go out and socialise too. "It’s a growth thing. I don’t envy being, what is he, 24? 25? Making money, got no kids, what’s he going to do? Sit in the yard on his own?

"Me at 25, you think this is stopping me from going out? Are you mad? And I had kids, but that’s just my mentality of how I was. So I just think he’s been irresponsible, he knows he’s been irresponsible, but I also think he’s a kid man."

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