Troy Deeney showcased his ability to lead the line for England again on Saturday

England hopeful Alfie Mawson was hooked at half-time after Deeney dominance

Ben Foster believes Deeney would get call up if he was at more fashionable club

Troy Deeney looked every inch an England footballer at Craven Cottage on Saturday. So powerful. So dominant. So good.

Nevertheless, it seems inevitable the Watford striker will never get the chance to play for his country, at least not while Gareth Southgate is in charge.

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The England manager's comments during the previous international break were telling, suggesting that although Deeney's robustness is effective for Watford, it wouldn't suit the national team's style.

Troy Deeney battled on with a broken foot at Craven Cottage during draw with Fulham

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Southgate, in explaining Deeney's omission from the last squad, was letting the striker down gently. When the England boss names his next one at the end of the month, the 30-year-old should expect disappointment again.

Last week, Deeney questioned the England's manager logic in selecting Danny Welbeck, who has spent most of the season on the bench for Arsenal, over the likes of himself, Danny Ings and Glenn Murray who are all playing regularly. On Saturday, the Watford captain gave substance to his claims.

Fulham's defence had no answer to Deeney's swashbuckling style. Centre back Alfie Mawson — an England hopeful — was hooked at half-time, such was the discomfort he endured at the hands of Deeney and Andre Gray. His central defensive partner Calum Chambers was forced to endure a full 90 minutes of torment.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah should have been dismissed for his tackle on Deeney who battled on

Somehow Slavisa Jokanovic's side still won a point at Craven Cottage, thanks in no small part to Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, who added to his growing reputation with another excellent display.

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More performances like this, and Bettinelli can expect another call from Southgate for next month's games against Spain and Croatia squad, following his surprise call-up for the previous squad, but Southgate's tunnel-vision determination to turn England into pass masters means Deeney shouldn't expect a similar call.

Ben Foster, the Watford goalkeeper who has played for England eight times, thinks that if his captain was at a more fashionable club, things might be different.

'Yes, maybe an England call would have come by now, to be honest,' Foster said. 'But it has always been the way.

'For the likes of Troy and people like that, they just need to keep going and follow in the footsteps of people like Ricky Lambert, where they weren't really at a team like that but they still got a chance.

'I would pick him, he offers a different dimension. Like when Peter Crouch was in the team, he brought a different dimension at the time. That's what Troy's got.'

The Watford showed his ability as he got the better of Alfie Mawson and Calum Chambers

It's unfortunate for Deeney, who flabbergasted Watford staff by reporting to pre-season training leaner than ever.

Deeney dropped almost a stone in weight thanks to a meticulously compiled diet put together by leading nutritionist Dr Scott Robinson, who also has boxer Conor Benn as one of his clients.

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The Watford skipper couldn't quite deliver the knockout blow to Fulham. Deeney, though, isn't a one-punch wonder.

Ben Foster believes Deeney would get England call up if at more fashionable club

The fact that he played the last 58 minutes with an injured foot following a mistimed tackle from Timothy Fosu-Mensah — for which the Dutchman apologised on Twitter — speaks volumes for Deeney's fortitude.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw, Deeney admitted to playing with broken toes last week, providing further confirmation of his toughness. He had a scan in Sunday on the latest thump to his foot and Watford manager Javi Gracia will have been relieved that nothing serious showed up. His star striker had not broken another toe.

Deeney is expected to miss Wednesday's Carabao Cup away clash against Tottenham — despite his clean bill of health — though it is almost a foregone conclusion that the former Walsall star will be back leading from the front when the Hornets travel to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.