The former Premier League star is changing his sport as he accepts a wildcard entry into a rankings event in a completely different discipline

• A FORMER Premier League star will take part in the UK Open Pool Championships next month
• The World Nineball Tour Ranking event takes place from May 7 to May 12
• Darwin Nunez is a handful, but not a killer. Jurgen Klopp makes excuses for him – listen to Everything takes off Podcast

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney enters the UK Open Billiards Championship as a wildcard entry.

The Nineball World Tour Ranking event takes place at the Telford International Center from May 7-12.

Deeney, who spent most of his career at Watford and scored 47 goals in 165 Premier League appearances, will try a new style.

An official press release read: “The World Nineball Tour is delighted to announce that popular nineballer Troy Deeney will grace the tables as a wildcard player at the UK Open Nineball Championships.

Denny, whose passion for the sport extends beyond the football pitch, is set to bring his competitive spirit to the world of pool in the first Matchroom Main Event of the year.

“As a wildcard entrant, the former Watford star joins an elite group of players, each competing for the prestigious title and the chance to showcase their skills on the British stage.”

Deeney was most recently player-manager of League Two club Forest Green Rovers, but was sacked in January after just six matches.

Speaking after the announcement, Deeney said: “It's just a really interesting call coming from Matchroom.

'[They asked] Would I be interested in doing that and trying to pit myself against the best and more importantly shed some light and add some notoriety to the sport? Matchroom has been great in terms of growing all the other sports it has been a part of.

I've played pool in a lot of pool halls around the country with my friends as a social thing and I just thought why not try something different?

I have always admired athletes in various sports, the dedication and the number of hours it takes to achieve great performance.

It's easy to sit at home and say I could have done that, but actually getting up and trying to do it is a completely different thing. Always grateful for new opportunities and learning.

“There will probably be more pressure on whoever plays with me because they don't want to come out to this rude person with a big mouth!” For me, it's a bit of fun, and obviously the serious competitive nature will come out anyway, but if I lose to someone in the UK Open, is that a negative for me? no.

“If they lose to me, they'll have to question themselves going forward. But for me, it's about having fun, and showing UK Nineball Pool to a wider audience.

“I hope that with the training we have had, we can continue to progress and not kid ourselves, that is the goal. [Been having lessons?] A little bit, I can't say too much about it because there's going to be some stuff around it, but we have some ex-pros helping us out.

“Everyone compares everything to football, but if you look at darts players who aren't quite as famous, if I can help someone get the notoriety they deserve, that's great for this generation. You always have to respect the past to be able to move forward.”