The name of Watford’s next head coach is no clearer, with the club continuing deliberations over their preferred candidates.

At the time of going to print, it is understood Vladimir Ivic and Gerhard Struber are the two men at the forefront of the club’s list of options, although Chris Hughton is reported to be interested in the job.

The former Brighton boss has taken both the Seagulls and Newcastle United up into the Premier League from the Championship, so could be considered by the Hornets, especially as he is currently without a club.

Ivic remains favourite with the bookies after former Leicester City boss Claude Puel was installed as an early contender following the sacking of Nigel Pearson.

The Serbian recently left Maccabi-Tel-Aviv where he led the club to back-to-back league titles. He also led PAOK to the Greek Cup in the 2016/17 season.

After his successes in Israel and Greece, Ivic is believed to be looking for a challenge in one of Europe’s top leagues and sees the Championship as a good place to showcase his talents.

Meanwhile, Struber’s availability would depend on the Hornets paying compensation to his current club Barnsley, which is thought to be in the region on £1million.

The Austrian joined the Tikes as recently as November and kept them in the second tier, despite them sitting at the foot of the table, seven points away from safety when he was appointed.