Watford head coach Vladimir Ivic has the full backing of his squad, the Watford Observer understands, despite reports suggesting otherwise emerging in recent days.

The story first surfaced via the Mail Online on Saturday, who claimed that players have complained about the Serbian coach's full-on training regime. 

The report also suggests that players were "already speculating" how long it would take the former Maccabi Tel-Aviv boss to get sacked, following a season in which the Hornets fired his three previous incumbents.

Harrow Times:

However, sources from within the Watford dressing room have described this account is both "false" and "inaccurate" and claim that the players are firmly behind their new boss.

The Hornets have had a positive pre-season so far, with victories in warm-up matches against both Tottenham Hotspur and Scunthorpe and will begin their Championship campaign on Friday at home against Middlesbrough.

In a recent interview for the club website, Ivic said he felt comfortable dealing with the pressure on him to try and get the Hornets back into the Premier League by the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Tom Dele-Bashiru has publicly praised the coach, saying: “He’s a good guy, he’s very detailed, he knows what he wants.

“He tries to motivate all the guys, he tries to speak to us all, he knows the goal as well and we’re all going to work towards the same direction.

“He can be quite laid back and reserved, he’ll watch on, he’ll say what he wants to say before the session and then we know what we’re going to do.”

Watford legend John Barnes has also backed the 43-year-old to succeed this season.