Marco Silva may have left Watford in a cloud of controversy, but Troy Deeney still feels the Portuguese is the best head coach he has worked with.

Deeney’s eight years at Watford have given Deeney a better understanding than most of the revolving door nature of the top job at Vicarage Road.

Eleven men have taken the reigns during Deeney’s Watford career, but none have matched the standards set by Silva.

“I think Silva has probably been the best. I respected what he was doing and really enjoyed training every day,” Deeney told Monday Night Football.

“I liked how Silva set his stall out and dissected who he wanted in and out of his team in a three-week period.”

Silva’s messy divorce from Watford, which saw the Hornets dismiss him in January after an alleged illegal approach from Everton, is still rumbling on.

The Toffees eventually got their man as Silva arrived at Goodison Park to replace Sam Allardyce in the summer but the club’s remain locked in a dispute, with an independent enquiry now looking into Everton’s approach.

Watford claimed Everton’s attempts to lure Silva away had a direct impact on the 41-year-old and in turn led to a downturn in results – a stance Deeney supported when quizzed on what went wrong under the former Hull City man’s leadership.

He said: “I sensed a difference in him after he was linked with Everton. With anyone, when you get linked with moves or any kind of contract, your mind just comes off a fraction and it reflects to the players. I would expect him to take Everton to the next level.”