Watford have named their former centre half Steve Palmer as the club's new academy recruitment manager.

Palmer started his career at Ipswich but joined the Hornets in 1995 and made more than 250 appearances for the club during his six-year spell at Vicarage Road.

The 43 year old, who also had spells at Queens Park Rangers and MK Dons, will manage the player recruitment process for young players entering the club's academy.

The appointment of Palmer, who wore all 11 shirt numbers during one season, means all full-time academy positions are now filled following a reshuffle earlier this year.

Palmer's coaching experience includes time as a player-coach at MK Dons, a performance manager role at Tottenham Hotspur and he was also an academy coach at Watford for a brief spell.

Palmer acquired the nickname 'The Professor' due to his university degree in software engineering.