Watford are six players down inside the first week of Project Restart after two more went into isolation. And as manager Nigel Pearson revealed new setbacks at the club in the eye of the coronavirus storm, he hit out at the “political animals” who have maintained a deafening silence instead of speaking out about the risks of the Premier League's proposed resumption next month.
After defender Adrian Mariappa tested positive for Covid-19, Hornets skipper Troy Deeney's refusal to return to training and at least two others staying away citing health concerns, two more unnamed players have now gone into isolation.
Deeney's principled stand, because his five-month-old infant son has suffered respiratory complications, attracted witless abuse