Several players are nearing a return to action for the Hornets but Friday night’s trip to Pride Park may come too soon for some, according to Vladimir Ivić.
Nevertheless, the Head Coach is looking forward to utilising the likes of Andre Gray, Will Hughes and Étienne Capoue in the coming weeks, as the added personnel will give him more options for mixing up Watford’s approach to games.
“We had five or six players off with the international teams and we have some players still injured, so it’s important for us that these players are soon with us,” said the Head Coach.
“I hope that in the next 10 days I believe we will complete our roster, and it will for sure be easier for me to create the first XI and the way we want to play. With a whole squad, you can be more flexible in your decisions.”
Gray has been out since the pre-season match against Tottenham Hotspur but the Head Coach confirmed he is now nearing a return to group training.
“Andre Gray is not ready to play yet, we will see in the next few days when he will be available,” said Ivić. “He’s working with the medical team and now we’re waiting for the medical team to give him to us and then he can start to work with the team. I believe this will be in the next few days. After that, we need to be patient with him and work with him until he will be available and in a good condition to give us what he can.”
Meanwhile, Hughes re-joined the squad for a light session towards the end of last week.
“It’s the same situation for Will Hughes but I believe he will be available a few days before Andre Gray,” added Ivić. “He has started to work with us now, he is part of the practice with us in the previous week, and I believe he will give us quality we need in the middle of the pitch. We need to wait to see when he will be ready to play.”
Another option in midfield who could soon be pulling on a yellow shirt again is playmaker Capoue, who was reintegrated into training with the main group last week.
“Étienne is a very experienced player, who has played in previous years in the Premier League and everybody knows his experience and quality can give us a lot. He worked with us the last two weeks and he will be ready to play, yes,” said Ivić.
“With Étienne we have a player for the middle of the pitch, especially after the injury to Tom Dele-Bashiru, who was unlucky because he’s a very quality player and we’ll miss him a lot.”
As well as Dele-Bashiru, Adam Masina and Isaac Success remain unavailable due to ongoing rehabilitation, while Stipe Perica is serving the final game of his three-match suspension for receiving a red card against Newport County.
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