Striker Deeney also discusses his recovery after undergoing knee surgery
Thursday 5 September 2019 23:02, UK
Watford captain Troy Deeney believes "big boy" Javi Gracia "knows what he’s doing" and is confident the club will keep faith in their head coach.
Gracia has led Watford to three defeats and a draw in their first four Premier League games of the season - but the club's owners, the Pozzi family, are understood to be keen on keeping the Spaniard.
Deeney, 31, who has played under 11 different managers during his 10-year spell at Watford, is optimistic he will not have to wave goodbye to No 12 this season.
"The manager is a big boy, he knows what he's doing - it's just part and parcel of the game," the striker told Sky Sports News at an NFL launch party at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"People are always going to question the manager if we've lost a few games. It doesn't just happen at Watford, it happens everywhere.
"But the high turnover of managers at Watford was four or five years ago. Everyone thinks every year we change the manager and get a new one. We are trying to settle down.
"And naturally the clubs will always put the club first. We appreciate that and we will keep going with what we are doing."
At the start of last season, Gracia won his first four Premier League games in charge of Watford.
"Naturally, you're always going to get people putting pressure on us," Deeney added.
"We haven't been great but we aren't trying to hide from that. We've not done anything, especially when you consider last year - that's what everyone's always going to do
"We know what it's about and we have to man up, stand up in front of it and take the good with the bad."
Deeney, who underwent knee surgery after playing through injury for the first two games of the season, has no date for his return but there was a positive update on his rehab.
"It's slow and steady. Had my stitches out today," he said.
"I don't know when I'll be back. I've got stages. I keeping going back to the surgeon and he says, 'You can do this, and you can do that', or 'It's swelling'. Every time he sets it off I go with what he says.
"But, as of right now, I've just passed level one of getting my stitches out and then I'll see how my knee progresses for the next couple of weeks."
