Opinion: Why Watford should sanction another loan move away for 22-year-old

Relegated outfit Watford have a decision to make on the returning Tom Dele-Bashiru this summer following the expiration of his loan spell at Championship rivals Reading.

The midfielder made a respectable 38 league appearances for the Royals during the 2021/22 campaign, an impressive record considering he had suffered a severe anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury during the 2020/21 campaign.

In fact, he was one of very few players at the Select Car Leasing Stadium to remain fit for the entire season, allowing him to make this number of appearances and recording four goals and two assists in the process.

Some would argue that record is enough for Rob Edwards to bring him back into the fold at Vicarage Road and with the 22-year-old one player that could become a crucial asset in the future, the ex-Forest Green Rovers boss may be keen on utilising him now.

If he can develop Dele-Bashiru and mould the former Manchester City man into the type of player he wants him to be, that can only be beneficial to the Hornets for the long term with the 22-year-old able to become more accustomed to life in Hertfordshire as a regular first-teamer at the same time.

He may have arrived at the club back in 2019, but he made just three appearances during 2019/20, featured twice before his injury in 2020/21 and then moved to Berkshire for the last campaign, so he still needs to fully integrate into the first-team squad.

That is one major argument for keeping him – but it seemed as though he was still finding out what he really was during his time under Veljko Paunovic and Paul Ince – operating as a wide player, an advanced midfielder and filling in as a more defensive player in the middle of the park – though these position switches were