Watford will be without defender Sebastian Prödl for Saturday's clash with Manchester United but Jose Manuel Jurado is in contention to make his return after almost two months out due to injury.

Prödl suffered a calf problem while on international duty with Austria this week and underwent a scan on Wednesday after returning to the Hornets.

The 28-year-old will find out the results of that scan tomorrow but Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores says the centre-back will not be available for Saturday's game at Vicarage Road.

“It looks like he will be out of the squad for sure for two or three weeks,” Flores said yesterday. “When we have the results of the scan we will see what the situation is.”

With Tommie Hoban (groin) also out injured it leaves Flores with only three fit centre-backs. But the Spaniard believes Nathan Ake and Jose Holebas are capable of filling in if required.

“Both have the conditions to play in this position,” he said. “Essaid Belkalem has always been in my thinking too in the past three months. His attitude is always positive and he is training very well.”

Jurado hasn’t featured for the Golden Boys since the defeat against Crystal Palace on September 27.

The Spaniard suffered a hamstring injury and then picked up a knock to his calf. But Flores says the 29-year-old has been training for the past ten days with the Hornets squad and that a decision will be made on his fitness today.

Watford are cool on the possibility of Allan Nyom missing the game after failing to represent Cameroon during the international break.

The full-back trained with his country in Paris last week but returned to England before Cameroon travelled to Africa to play two World Cup qualifiers as Watford had not received the correct documentation.

The Cameroon Football Association can invoke a rule forcing Nyom to miss tomorrow’s game but that appears to be an unlikely outcome. 

When Flores was asked about Nyom’s situation, he said: “This matter is of concern to the club. I just train the players who are available.” 

Hornets top scorer Odion Ighalo only arrived back at Watford today after representing Nigeria during the international break.

The striker will return to training tomorrow and less than 24 hours to prepare for the game but Flores was adamant the 26-year-old will play.  

"If he is fit Ighalo will play," the Spaniard said.