Troy Deeney insists he has no regrets about his ‘cojones’ dig at Arsenal , saying: “I just gave an honest opinion and if a few people don’t like it, tough.”

Watford ’s talisman and captain showed nerves of steel himself from the penalty spot to become a Wembley hero in the FA Cup semi-final thriller against Wolves eight days ago.

When the Hornets reconvene in party mode on Monday night Deeney will have no hang-ups about his infamous post-match barb which ruffled so many feathers among Gunners fans following Watford’s 2-1 win at Vicarage Road last season.

And he will lead the Golden Boys’ charge towards Europe with head coach Javi Gracia claiming Deeney is England’s best alternative as a No.9 in the absence of crocked skipper Harry Kane.

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Watford will go seventh if they win tonight and in Tales From The Vicarage Volume 7: Captains, Deeney said: “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, and I might have been better off just saving it for the boozer afterwards, but I don’t ever regret it.

“If I’m out in London now, I get Arsenal fans coming up to me and saying, ‘That cojones comment was out of order, but fair play for saying what you think’.

“Others will tap me on the shoulder and say, ‘Good on you, Troy, I’ve been saying that for years’.

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“I was the first one to come out and say it, and one or two people piled into me. But when they lost at Brighton , Swansea, Bournemouth and others, it was safe for experts to come out and say, ‘They have the quality but they lack the fight’. It gave others a licence to repeat it.

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“People used it as a pretext for saying Arsene Wenger should go as the Arsenal manager – but I never said that, and I’ve got nothing but respect for Mr Wenger. He built the Invincibles, one of the greatest football teams we’ve ever seen in this country.”

In the book, Deeney also revealed how he inspired Watford’s 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates two years ago by hijacking the team talk.

The night before he represented the players at Hornets godfather Graham Taylor’s funeral, Deeney fired up his team-mates by warning them: “We’re going to bust our b ** s – or you’re all coming with me.”

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Now in his ninth season at Vicarage Road, club captain Deeney has served under 11 different managers and head coaches – Malky Mackay, San Dyche, Gianfranco Zola, Beppe Sannino, Oscar Garcia, Billy McKinlay, Slavisa Jokanovic, Quique Sanchez Flores, Walter Mazzarri, Marco Zilva and Gracia.

Mazzarri was the only one with whom he crossed swords and, 48 hours after a dire FA Cup defeat at Millwall, the unlamented Italian stepped aside to let his skipper call the shots.

Deeney said: “It’s fair to say me and Mr Mazzarri never really got on eye-to-eye, but I told him I’d take care of that team talk.

“When we went in [after the warm-up] for the last talk before the game itself, I remember shutting the door and saying to the gaffer, ‘I’ve got this’. He must have seen the fire in my eyes because normally he would insist on having the final say, and there would be a confrontation.

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“But for some reason he let it go, and fair play to him. He let me get into the lads one more time because there was this huge occasion for the whole town that I was attending the following day.

“I said, ‘Look, if I’m going to this funeral tomorrow, I’m going there knowing we’ve given everything tonight. Everything. We could lose 5-0 if they are too good for us on the night, but we’re going to go out there and bust our b ** s [for Taylor] – because if we don’t, you’re all coming with me’.”

Meanwhile, Gracia – for the first time – has told England coach Gareth Southgate that Deeney is his best bet to play the No9 role with Kane sruggling to be fit for the Nations League semi-final against Holland in June.

The Watford boss said: “There are good English players in that position, but my opinion is that Troy is the best one and he is in a very good moment now.

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“When he took that penalty at Wembley, he knew that everybody was looking at him, it was an important moment for the club, and he managed it really well, scoring the goal and doing something special for the team.

“I always try to be respectful towards the national team. It is not my decision [to pick the England squad], but you need that personality.”

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Watford will be without left-back Jose Holebas (hamstring) and midfielder Tom Cleverley (calf), but Gracia has warned his squad there is no question of “taking it easy” before the FA Cup final.

He said: “I told the players that now is the time to be more demanding than ever.”