Head coach Slaven Bilic said he did not agree with comments made by recently-appointed Technical Director Ben Manga in an interview with German website Kicker, in which he said automatic promotion was out of Watford’s reach this season.

Manga was confirmed in his new role at Vicarage Road last month, moving to England after a highly-successful period at Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

During his time, Frankfurt won the Europa League and he unearthed a number of players who went on to be very successful for the club.

In the interview with Kicker, Manga said: “If I'm honest: the first two places are gone, Burnley and Sheffield will go straight up. We can only make it through the playoffs.”

The interview was carried out, and originally printed, in German, so there is the caveat that something could be lost in translation.

Bilic said: “I haven’t read that interview, but I don’t agree.

“First and foremost I am a sportsman and it should be in the nature of every sportsman to not only hope desperately but to believe.

“There are more than enough games, and more than enough points available, and more than enough examples of similar things happening.

“That’s especially the case in the Championship, and not just once or twice. Every season in the Championship this sort of thing happens.

“I am not giving up on automatic promotion because I know we can do it. So, no, I would never say those sort of things. Never.”

The Watford head coach said he accepted the gap between the top two in the Championship and the rest was enough to make Burnley and Sheffield United “feel comfortable”, but added it was also not insurmountable.

“Is there a gap? Yes there is. But it’s not a big gap,” he said.

“Of course I would feel comfortable if I were in their position, but in the course of three or four games in the Championship so much can change.

“When you lose momentum, it is hard to get it back. A couple of games can make everything look different.

“We are going game by game, trying to win every game and trying to get as much as possible out of each game. If we could get four points from each game I’d be well for up for that!

“If we win our games – and I’m not talking every single game – but if we win games there is a realistic chance that we can catch them.

“Let’s concentrate on our game and do what we can do. Of course it’s not entirely down to us because other teams are involved, but of course it is still possible

“If we do an extremely good job in the games we have left then what we want to happen is likely to happen.

“We have to approach every game with the mentality and the motivation to win.”

One thing Bilic did want to stress what that he was aware that tomorrow’s game against Blackpool is the Graham Taylor Matchday, and the additional motivation that gives.

“I didn’t, sadly, have the chance to meet Graham Taylor but of course I know everything about him and it is an honour to be involved in his day tomorrow. It’s an extra motivation for us.

“He is a legend. We would always do everything we can to win a game, but tomorrow is his day and so it means that little bit more.”