Watford boss Tom Cleverley lauds Super Eagles forward Emmanuel Dennis after match-winning goal

Versatile Super Eagles forward Emmanuel Dennis has earned praise from former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley for his match-winning strike vs Birmingham.

Dennis, 26, made a switch to Watford from Nottingham Forest during the winter transfer window after spending the initial half of the season on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey.

However, Dennis’s stint in Turkey didn’t go as planned, with the former Club Brugge man featuring in just eight games over five months, without contributing to any goals.

Upon returning to Watford, the Nigerian attacker has quickly found his form, netting three goals in five starts and relishing his football once again with the EFL Championship side.

His most recent goal came in a match against Birmingham City at Saint Andrew’s Knighthead Park, where Watford secured a crucial away victory, marking a positive start for interim coach Tom Cleverley after the dismissal of Valerien Ismael. Ismael managed only one win in his last twelve games in charge.

Dennis, operating as a winger for the Super Eagles, capitalized on a defensive error just before half-time to score the decisive goal, earning acclaim from Cleverley, a Premier League winner with Manchester United.

“We know that Dennis has got that explosive burst. As a defender, you can think you’re comfortable on the ball, and then he appears from nowhere. We said to the players we thought we would create chances through high regains. We didn’t win as many as I’d like but the one that mattered went in. He’s been nursing a small groin issue, so it was always in my mind that he wouldn’t complete the game. He’s done well to get to an hour and score the winning goal,” Cleverley commented, as quoted on the club’s official website.

Despite his recent goalscoring form, Emmanuel Dennis was left out of the latest Super Eagles squad for the upcoming matches against Ghana and Mali.