Daniel Farke has a fan in Watford rival Nigel Pearson, who praised how the Norwich City boss has dealt with a Premier League relegation battle after pushing the Canaries closer to the drop following a 2-1 midweek defeat.

The Hornets’ boosted their own survival chances at Vicarage Road with a come-from-behind victory that left City on the brink of a swift return to the Football League.

Farke has had to contend with a raft of injuries to key players and the smallest transfer budget in the division in his attempt to pull off another ‘miracle’ after plotting last year’s Championship title win.

“We negotiated a difficult game against a side who play very good football and are a lot better than the situation in the league suggests,” said Pearson. “I’ve got an awful lot of respect for Daniel.

“I think he is a man of integrity, they are a decent side. It is difficult to be in this sort of situation, both for them and for us, and I have a lot of empathy with people who are dealing with difficult situations.

“He carries himself with a lot of dignity and humility as well. I have a lot of respect for him as a football person. I think they play a lot of good football and they are certainly better than their position suggests.”