Thursday 27 July 2017 18:53, UK
Watford head coach Marco Silva has admitted that club captain Troy Deeney is unlikely to be fit in time for the start of the Premier League season.
Deeney, who missed Watford's Austrian training camp earlier this month, has had surgery on a groin injury and Silva accepts that he may have to begin the campaign without the influential English striker.
The 29-year-old, who is the club captain, has been a consistent performer for the Hornets, making 40 appearances in all competitions for the club last season.
"We'll see - for the first match it is not easy," Silva told Sky Sports. "I believe, maybe unavailable for the first match of the season.
"Of course he started to work with us but had to stop for the surgery. He stopped training and when he is ready [and fit] he will come back and help us, like in the last few years."
Silva, who was confirmed as Watford's new manager last month, was unable to prevent Hull from relegation to the Championship but attracted praise for the upturn in results he brought about in charge of the Tigers.
The Portuguese manager dismissed transfer speculation linking the club with a move for Aymen Abdennour as "not true" but did acknowledge that he has made his board aware of transfer targets which are believed to include Liverpool's midfielder Lazar Markovic, who played for Silva at Hull on loan last season.
"Gino, our board knows what I need, what we need as a team to complete our roster," said Silva. "Since the first day we have our targets in our mind, of course you know the market in this moment is not easy, it's better for the other clubs, but we will keep working hard in this situation. It's clear to us what we need."
"The truth is we haven't done anything [in terms of a bid] for Markovic. He's one player who played very well with me in the last four months at Hull. He is not going to stay at Liverpool but at this moment he is still a Liverpool player."
"We need to complete our roster, put more competitive players in our roster to help everybody to improve.
Watford will kick-off the new Premier League season at home to Liverpool on August 12, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
