Watford FC latest: Hornets sign striker, Mileta Rajovic claim, Ryan Andrews situation | OneFootball

Watford are in the mix for a play-off place this season as they seek a Premier League return at the second attempt.

The Hornets are currently 11th and seven points adrift of the top six, as Valerien Ismael’s side aim for promotion to the top flight.

Victory over Rotherham United last weekend ended a run of three defeats in a row to help get their play-off aims back on track.

There are 13 games remaining in their campaign, with the battle to make it into the top six set to be extremely competitive.

Ismael defends Rajovic

Ismael has defended the performances of Mileta Rajovic following another difficult day away to the Millers last weekend.

The forward struggled up against Sean Morrison, and earned criticism from supporters for his display.

However, the Watford boss believes that patience is needed, with the 24-year-old still learning how to adapt to English football.

“He is learning about the type of defender you will face,” said Ismael, via the Watford Observer.

“It was a lesson for him [Saturday], and it was a tough game for him.

“Every time you play you need to learn to be stronger and be better.”

Rotherham turning point claim made

Jamal Lewis believes that the victory over Rotherham last weekend could prove a turning point in the club’s campaign.

He has claimed that the team had been targeting the fixture as a chance to turn around their fortunes, admitting that prior performances hadn’t been good enough.

"It's been disappointing for us recently and we've been well aware of that - the results haven't been good enough," said Lewis, via the BBC.

"We wanted to use this game [Rotherham] as a turning point and just push and keep the pressure on the teams above us.

"Hopefully it's three points in the right direction and we can build momentum from here until the end of the season."

Ismael opens up on Andrews absence

Ryan Andrews has dropped to the bench in recent weeks, raising question marks over his absence.

But the Watford manager has opened up on the reasoning behind this decision, with Ismael citing fatigue as a major reason for his coming out of the side.

He believes that his recent performances saw a dip in quality, which has been attributed to tiredness, which has led to him being rested.

“He was not injured,” said Ismael, via the Watford Observer.

“We assess after extra game the numbers of every player, and the data for our full-backs is especially important.

“We saw with Ryan that with every game the data was going down, down, down.

“He wasn’t able to push anymore.

“That’s a sign of fatigue, and it meant we needed to manage him.

“It’s his first full season, and my job is to manage the workload for him and all my players.

“That is the reason.”

Andrews has made 27 appearances in the Championship this season, including 17 starts.

Watford have confirmed the arrival of Mali youth international Mamadou Doumbia.

The 18-year-old will join the club in the summer, having agreed terms on a six-year contract that will run until the summer of 2030.

The striker will join from Black Stars FC, having impressed with Mali at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

This is Watford's first signing of the upcoming summer window, with the club making a head start in their preparations for next season.