Nigel Pearson confirmed all members of his squad are available for selection ahead of Saturday’s fixture with Leicester City, with the exception of three long-term injuries.
Gerard Deulofeu (cruciate ligament), Daryl Janmaat (knee) and Isaac Success (Achilles) are the only absentees for the Hornets in an otherwise fully fit squad going into the restart.
“Isaac Success has ruptured his Achilles. Deulofeu won’t be available this season, he’s got a serious knee injury with his cruciate. Janmaat won’t be available either,” said Pearson.
“But everybody else more or less is available. We’ve tried to prepare the players at a pace which really does reflect very much where they are themselves.”
Training resumed at London Colney on May 20, although some players returned later, and Pearson is pleased with what he has seen from each individual in the last month.
“The players came back in good condition,” he said. “We had players who re-joined at different stages based on their own feelings, but during that time some of those players had one-to-one sessions so they were integrated back in.
“We’ve at least had the last two weeks where the squad have really been together, and it’s allowed us to work at a pace where we think we’re as prepared as we can be given the circumstances.”
Concerns have been raised that injuries could become more frequent due to the break in the season, but Pearson has been impressed with how quickly his players have returned to a match-ready condition.
“We have to understand there might be a greater injury risk,” said the Head Coach.
“Having said that, I’ve been delighted with how the players have both returned to training and embraced the need for us to get back to a game situation as quick as possible given the circumstances we’re working in.”
