Watford pair available to face Preston North End as academy graduate attracts interest

Watford are unbeaten so far since Tom Cleverley took over from Valerien Ismael on a temporary basis. The ex-Manchester United midfielder will be in charge until the end of the season. 

He has drawn two and won one of his first three matches at the helm ahead of their clash against Preston North End. Here is a look at some of the latest news regarding the club...

Fitness latest

Watford pair Giorgi Chakvetadze and Jack Grieves will be back available for their match this weekend which is a boost. The duo have been been out of action due to illness and missed their clash away at West Brom last time out. 

Elsewhere, Jeremy Ngakia and Ken Sema are also making good progress on their respective road to recoveries. Cleverley has said, as per the official club website: “The fitness of the squad is improving all the time. [Jeremy] Ngakia and [Ken] Sema are getting closer and closer. They are on pitch rehab now so seven to 10 days away from re-joining the team.

“Giorgi [Chakvetadze] and Jack Grieves recovered from their illnesses that made them unavailable on Monday, and should be in contention for the squad on Saturday.”

Winger wanted

Watford cut ties with winger Adrian Blake in June last year and he signed for FC Utrecht on a four-year deal. The 18-year-old, who is an England youth international, rose up through the academy ranks at Vicarage Road and made three first-team appearances before heading abroad. 

He has since caught the eye over in Holland and is attracting fresh interest from elsewhere ahead of the next transfer window. According to reporter Fabrizio Romano on X, ‘several’ English teams are keeping tabs on his progress in the Eredivisie.