Lloyd Dyer and Lewis McGugan are among four senior players Watford head coach Slavisa Jokanovic has stopped from training with the first team.
Dyer, McGugan, Mathias Ranegie and Diego Fabbrini have all been told they are surplus to requirements and are free to find new clubs.
The quartet are still training at the club’s London Colney base but are no longer involved with the first team.
Jokanovic stated they each have different reasons for not being included in training but whilst refusing to identify who he was talking about, stated he wanted players who would fight for the club.
Jokanovic said: “There are reasons why some of these guys don’t train with me and that is it. I don’t want to explain more. The reasons are different and I believe they know but I won’t explain all the cases that exist.
“It is my decision because I believe it is better for my team and my training has higher quality without some players. With some players they don’t want to work with us because they think they are not ready to commit to us. If you are not ready then you can work with another side. I am coach, if you are not ready, you will train at another time.
“There are different reasons and I need people who really want to fight for this club and for his teammates. This is only what I believe is good for us. Some of the players are not actually training with us but they are still at Watford.”
He added: “Somebody is not training because I don’t believe he can add to the team. Somebody [else is not training] because he can’t make our training better.
"If you are working and making training worse then I don’t need you. And if I don’t use you in the team and then I need you in the game, then you need to be fit enough and have enough desire to show me I am wrong.
“If you don’t show me on the time [you play] or another time that I am wrong, then I don’t need to f*** over my people who want to do our job and other people.
“It’s working well, this decision. They prefer and they explain that ‘I am not ready for working with team and I can’t help you’ then I’d prefer you working with another side. This is the situation.
“I took these steps because I believe it is better for the team. I don’t know any coach what wants to be against their team."
Dyer, who was signed from Leicester City in the summer on a free transfer, is wanted by several Championship sides, with Blackburn Rovers one of them.
Fabbrini was close to securing a loan move to Millwall when the Watford Observer went to print yesterday after but Bolton Wanderers had been hopeful of landing his signature on loan after he visited the Trotters this week.
Jokanovic mentioned the importance of Watford improving their organisation and hard work in the future after an abysmal display during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town.
When asked if players who don’t work hard enough will be dropped, Jokanovic replied: "Yes, it is that simple. There is a way forward and if you want to do that then it is ok. There is a way of training and playing on the pitch which is very clear. If you do not want to do this then it is difficult to put you in the team.
“There is an obligation for all of us. I am obligated to do my best job, the same way you are. You are here interviewing me because somebody has sent you here and you need to sell newspapers tomorrow.
“My obligation is to win games and I work to do that.”
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