Watford Head Coach Tom Cleverley has welcomed players back to the training ground this week with Academy prospects and a handful of first-teamers returning after the end of season break.

The youngsters have been gaining a taste of the senior set-up while their more established team-mates have been keen to maximise their preparations before the new season.

“We’ve got first-team players that wanted to get a head start on the pre-season as well as a group of younger players, the ones we see as being really high-potential players,” Cleverley said.

“They are getting access to the first-team environment, the nutrition and the coaching staff as well.

“It’s important they familiarise themselves with that as hopefully one or two of them will be around it a lot more this year.”

Cleverley said that time with the first team was a chance for the Academy players to make their mark as he shapes his squad for the new campaign.

“Some young players have that fearless mindset where you throw them into a new environment and they take to it straight away,” he said.

“Some need a little bit of time to adapt, to become familiar and to settle in. This is just making that process a little bit easier for them.

    “It’s likely only a couple will follow the first-team programme throughout the pre-season.

“It’s a chance for them to stake a claim for that.”

Cleverley knows all about the Hornets Academy after previously serving as Lead Coach of the Under-18s.

“I think we’ve got some very good potential in-house,” he said.

“I saw it first hand last season and selfishly I want those players ready to play for the first team when I need them.

“I grew up in an Academy where if you were good enough, you were old enough and that’s what I see here.

“Why look to recruit in a position we might have right under our nose?

“These players have to keep developing to become established first-team players but they have the potential and the attitude to do so.”

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