Former Watford manager Quique Sánchez Flores has hinted he was not fully committed during his second spell at the club.
The Spaniard first took charge of Watford back in 2015 and enjoyed a superb first year at the club, leading them to 13th in the Premier League that season.
He was duly sacked that summer but made a surprise return in September last year when the club elected to sack Javi Gracia.
His second stint in charge would last just 12 games, though, as Watford went on a run of just one win in ten league games under his leadership.
That left the club sitting bottom of the table, and Sánchez Flores sacked for a second time at Vicarage Road.
His second stint was fraught with issues, and he’s now hinted he personally wasn’t as invested as he could have been.
“You yourself realise that you have concentration problems or that you don’t transmit as you should. You can’t keep the flag at half-mast.
“I thought, Quique, you have to reconnect with your children. Now that I’m with my database, I feel excited, and in three or four months, I’ll be back to full strength.”
Since departing Watford at the beginning of December 2019, Sánchez Flores is yet to return to football management.
That is something of a surprise for the 56-year-old, given he’s had two spells in England as well as time in charge of big clubs such as Valencia and Atlético Madrid in Spain.
More than a year out of work is a dangerous position for a manager to be in, but he’s revealed there are outside factors that have stopped him from making a more immediate return.
“2019 was very tough on a personal level, with an Achilles tendon injury that took me two years to recover from,” he added.
“And I will not be available until the end of the year, and I thank the people who have approached me, but I feel very valid to talk about football.
“I am very grateful because there have been many media who have asked me.”
