Rooney previews return to action against Watford

Thirteen days after their last league action, Argyle get back to Sky Bet Championship business on Friday night, as Watford are the visitors to Home Park.  

The Greens went into the recent international window with a win at home to Portsmouth followed by a 1-1 draw at Derby County, so will be looking to continue that piece of momentum with the visit of Tom Cleverley’s sixth-placed Hornets.  

Several Argyle players have been away with international sides, and though some had returned by the time Pilgrims Head Coach Wayne Rooney sat down with Argyle TV on Wednesday, some such as Kornel Szucs and Victor Palsson were still in transit having played on the Tuesday night.  

Rooney recognised this as an issue but suggested it might even be slightly trickier for Watford, and that both sides would have to make the best of the situation.  

“It’s not ideal, but if we were playing in Watford, it would have been more of an issue,” Rooney said. “We know we’re getting players back [on Thursday], I imagine they are as well and having to travel. For both teams, it is not ideal, but we’ll prepare the best way we can for it.  

“They’ve trained really well this week; I’ve been pleased with them and the energy they’ve shown. The sessions we’ve done, I’ve been really pleased with.  

“We’re still waiting for a couple of players to come back, which feels strange given that we’ve got a game on Friday, but preparations have gone as well as they can do.” 

Argyle have already met Watford, in the Carabao Cup, when both sides rotated, but the Hornets came out on top, winning 2-0 at Vicarage Road.  

Opposition boss Cleverley will be watching this weekend’s game from the stands, as he is serving a touchline ban, so he and former Manchester United team-mate Rooney will not be adjacent in the technical area.  

Despite his opposite number’s absence, Rooney outlined some of the things to look out for in Cleverley’s team, and said he is relishing the evening atmosphere at Home Park once again.  

“Watford are a good team, a physical team,” said Rooney. “They have some good individual players, we know we have to be at our best to win the game on Friday night, and we’ll do our best to do that.  

“They’re having a good season. Tom is doing a good job. Friendship goes out of the window on Friday night; it’s a game we both want to win, and we’ll both be doing everything we can to do that.  

“They are very good on transition, with quick, powerful players. A lot of their games this season have involved a lot of goals, so the games can be quite open.  

“We know what to expect from their point of view. We have a game plan which we think will nullify their strengths and allow us to go and get a positive result.  

“We played them in the cup, and got a bit more insight into them, but both teams made a lot of changes for that game. It will be a very different game on Friday.  

“Any evening game is what I used to prefer as a player, it always brings a different energy and atmosphere to the game. No doubt the fans will be there, right behind the team, and we can give them a performance to be pleased with.