When Kevin Danso walked onto the pitch at Molineux last weekend, he carried the weight of an entire week. Seven days earlier, the Tottenham defender had made what he himself would later call a "horrific mistake" — a mishandled backpass that gifted Brighton a goal and invited a torrent of online abuse. Most players would have retreated into their shells. Danso, instead, stood tall. He was strong, compact, and solid in Tottenham's win over Wolves — a performance so resilient that former Premier League striker Troy Deeney named him in his team of the week.
"When you think to last week and the horrific mistake he made which obviously gifted Brighton's goal, it would have been easy for him to go into his shell," Deeney wrote in his selections for the Premier League website. "But he was strong and compact in the win at Wolves. Still a little bit ropey, but I think that's who he is. He's going to give you those moments of nervousness. But to have the week he's had where he got abused and to come and put in a solid performance in, he goes in my team."
Danso's redemption arc was far from the only story that caught Deeney's eye. Piero Hincapie of Arsenal also earned a spot after silencing critics who wondered whether the young defender could handle pressure. A week earlier, Hincapie had struggled against Manchester City, and Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo had given him trouble by driving directly at him. Many expected Newcastle to exploit the same weakness. Instead, Hincapie shut everybody down — making crucial headers,关键 blocks, and demonstrating the kind of growth that transforms promising players into reliable ones.
Harry Maguire's return from a two-game suspension told a similar story. The Manchester United captain was immediately impactful, providing the assist for the opening goal in United's win over Brentford and restoring a sense of authority to a backline that had missed his presence.
"Just see the difference in Manchester United's team when Maguire is there," Deeney noted. "He's just a solid individual who gets stuff done."
Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon completed the picture, earning recognition even though Deeney slotted him in at right-back — not his usual position. Sessegnon was one of Fulham's best attacking outlets, kept getting forward, and earned his reward with a goal while helping preserve a clean sheet against Aston Villa.
Together, these selections tell a story about something the Premier League rarely celebrates loudly enough: the courage to fail, learn, and come back stronger. Whether it's a defender recovering from an online pile-on, a young player answering his doubters, or a captain reasserting his presence, the thread running through Deeney's team of the week isn't just skill — it's resilience.