Tommie Hoban has written a heartfelt thank you to the Watford fans for their support and expressed his pride at the part he played in helping the club “come so far in recent years”.

The defender’s departure from the Hornets was confirmed yesterday after an injury-blighted career that limited him to 58 appearances for the club following his debut in a 3-1 defeat at Preston North End in May 2011.

The 25-year-old, who is currently recovering from a second cruciate ligament injury he sustained on loan at Aberdeen in February, has reflected on his time at Watford on social media.

Writing on Instagram, Hoban said: “After over 10 years my time at Watford has come to an end. I’ve met so many incredible people both on and off the pitch through the club, and had so many incredible experiences that I couldn’t begin to list…but the promotion back in 2015 has to top them all! The club has come so far in recent years and I’m proud to have played a small part in that.

“Thank you so much to all the fans for the continued support over the years. The last 4 years couldn’t have been much worse injury wise, but to still see all the messages of support really means a lot. I’ll be doing everything I can to get back to where I wanna be and I hope one day will get to play at vicarage road again.”