Brice Dja Djédjé has hit out at Watford for treating him 'like an animal' as the club left him out of their Premier League squad and did not allow him to leave the club during the transfer window.
The former Marseille full-back was speaking to L'Equipe in France when he vented his frustrations having found himself out of new manager Marco Silva's plans after a very difficult time in England thus far.
Soon after arriving at the club last summer a foot injury saw him ruled out for the first half of the season, but once he returned to fitness he struggled to break into Walter Mazzari's side making just two FA Cup appearances before the end of the campaign. Having hoped to get a chance this season, Djédjé instead found out through the media that he had been omitted from the club's Premier League squad.
Even worse, it seems as though Djédjé's place in the official squad was given to a fourth goalkeeper after Costil Pantilimon got injured, and it's very clear that he is deeply upset by this decision. Even more so the fact that he was not informed of this by the club resulted in him airing his frustrations to the media in France.
I don't understand at all. They make their choice but it hurts because I cannot do my job. It is starting to become unbearable. To discover this kind of decision in the press is incredible. There are lines you should not cross.
It comes to the time when you cannot keep quiet. I have been treated like a dog.
I am not happy here. The fact that I train all week then I am on the sofa at the weekend is horrible. Just because they pay me every month does not mean I have to accept everything.
Otherwise, it would mean I don't care. I have been stopped from practicing the trade that I love for two years without explanation. I cannot carry on like this. Everyone ask why I am not playing – people think I am injured but it is totally false.
The reserve goalkeeper [Costel Pantilimon] was injured for three weeks and the club decided to include a fourth goalkeeper rather than me when I was fit. Inexplicable!
I have had no explanation. The same last season. Before signing me, they knew that I had injured my foot playing for the national side. But Walter Mazzarri insisted, he really wanted that I sign for Watford.
He had told me how he wanted to play, he counted on using me and, above all, he knew very well I was injured because we had discussed it. The doctor at Marseille had given instructions to Watford but they wanted that I returned earlier and that is what aggravated the injury.
I have to leave. Either on loan or permanently. I want to rediscover the taste of competition. I have been ready since last December and I cannot wait any longer.
What is crazy is that clubs asked Watford this summer for a loan but they refused.
It's understandable that he's upset. If he is not going to be used during the Premier League season, then why not let him leave? It seems like the decision to keep him benefits neither the club nor the player, so to just pay him to train is baffling.
But not informing the player is simply unacceptable. We've heard a number of players expressing their dissatisfaction after suffering a similar fate, such as Everton's long-serving full-back Tony Hibbert finding out from his friends who had seen on Sky Sports that he had been released.
There's no excuse for a club giving their player the cold shoulder, and to deny him a loan move away from the club when they have no plans to play him is just odd.
