Watford boss Claudio Ranieri has admitted that former Tottenham defender Danny Rose needs to improve to get into his starting eleven.
Rose left Spurs in the summer after his contract with the North London club expired and completed a free transfer to the Hornets.
Moussa Sissoko also swapped Spurs for the newly-promoted club in the summer during the summer transfer window but both players have had contrasting fortunes since the move.
While Sissoko has established himself as a regular in the club’s starting eleven and even been handed the captain’s armband, Rose has struggled for game time at Vicarage Road.
The former Tottenham man has been kept out of the side by Adam Masina for the majority of the campaign so far but even with Masina now out with an injury, Jeremy Ngakia got the nod to start over the 31-year-old at left-back in Watford’s 2-1 loss to Brentford on Saturday.
Ranieri explained after the match that the former England international needs to improve his fitness to get into the team.
The Italian told The Sun: “I am very confident with him (Rose) but he has to improve more.
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“I remember Danny when he played at Tottenham and the England national team and I need this Danny. I think it is more fitness than a confidence issue.”
“When he came he was down on fitness and now he has improved a lot but he needs to improve more. It is difficult though to say how long that will take.”
Spurs Web Opinion
When Rose was at his best for Tottenham from 2015 to 2017, he was one of the fittest full-backs in the league.
Even in his final few years at Spurs, he lost that athleticism that gave him the edge over other players.
Hopefully, the left-back can build back his fitness and have a couple of good years at Watford as should theoretically still be in his peak at 31 years of age.
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