Former Watford head coach Xisco Munoz will return to Vicarage Road on October 21 as manager of Sheffield Wednesday after taking the job at Hillsborough this week.

Munoz was in charge of the Hornets for 36 games between December 2020 and October 2021, steering the team back to the Premier League in April 2021.

Now he is working with a Wednesday squad that was promoted from League One last season but saw successful boss Darren Moore leave in the summer.

The Spaniard said the challenge he faces in this new role is nothing like when he arrived in Hertfordshire two and a half years ago.

“I think this is different, I think it is totally different,” he said.

“I think you need to understand at which point we start right now. When we arrived at Watford they had been in the Premier League and were just relegated to the Championship.

“We had a big goal, and the goal was to get back to the Premier League.

“Here it is totally different. We were in League One and where we are now is totally different.

“Our time is short: we have four weeks and I don’t exactly know what we can do in the market to improve our situation.”

Munoz was asked if he thought the challenge of making a newly-promoted team a success was more difficult than getting a recently relegated team back up.

“I don’t think of it as a big challenge. I put it in my mind that I want to enjoy the situation,” he said.

“When the owner told me about this situation, I didn’t think any more: I came here.

“He told me, I said we meet tomorrow, I get a flight, you know it was very fast.

“I want to put my full energy into important things now, and Watford has passed now. What is important is to think about the future.”

After a relatively short spell in England, was there any feeling that Munoz might be scarred by his past experience and see this as second chance to prove himself?

“I do not push myself about these situations,” he admitted.

“Afterwards, you can say if it was a good experience or a bad experience, if I learned or I didn’t learn something.

“Of course, if we have a good season it is better for me and better for the club, for the players for everybody.

“But I’m not pushing myself by thinking this is my second chance.”