Friday 8 February 2019 16:49, UK
Marco Silva insists Everton will not be distracted by comments made by Troy Deeney ahead of their match at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Watford striker Deeney reportedly criticised his former boss during a fan forum event earlier this week, where he allegedly described employees at Everton as "fantastic" but "not the manager".
Everton head into the game ninth in the Premier League table - one place and one point below Watford - but Silva does not believe Deeney's potential mind games will affect his side.
"For sure it is not a distraction," he said. "Our players have to be ready to play a football match. It will be tough like all the other matches.
"We have to be at our maximum motivation.
"There is nothing different about what Troy [Deeney] said. If you search what he said two months ago, maybe it is a matter of strategy."
Silva returns to Watford on Saturday for the first time since taking charge of Everton at the end of last season. Although acknowledging the difficulty of the game, he was reluctant to discuss his spell in charge at Vicarage Road.
"I think it is not the time to make or to do a reflection on last season," he added.
"We are in the middle of a season. It is not the moment to talk about the situation.
"Watford will be a tough game. The reception? In football you have to be ready for everything. I am ready for everything."
After three wins in their previous 13 Premier League games, Everton are now closer to the relegation zone than they are to sixth-placed Arsenal. They have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, but Wednesday night's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City gave Silva some much-needed encouragement.
"I was pleased, not just with the defensive performance. As a team everything we did was different," he said.
"The moments of the match were clear, our image as a team, more than the previous one.
"The result wasn't what we wanted but I took some positives. What I expect and what I hope is to keep seeing improvements in our squad and with our results."
Silva also confirmed that Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka will miss the Watford game through injury, while their fellow defender Yerry Mina faces a late fitness test.
