"My gut feeling is" - Claim made on Mileta Rajovic's Watford FC future | OneFootball

It is hard to know what Watford should do with Mileta Rajovic in the summer transfer window.

That's according to the Hornets' Football League World fan pundit, Justin Beattie, who admits the 24-year-old may be starting to win round some of the club's supporters.

A mixed season for Rajovic

It was only last summer that Rajovic joined Watford, making the move to Vicarage Road from Swedish side Kalmar FF.

According to reports, the Hornets paid somewhere in the region of £1million to secure the signing of the Danish striker.

Since making that move, Rajovic has already experienced some considerable ups and downs during the early stages of his Watford career.

He has so far scored 11 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for the Championship club this season, meaning he is their top scorer for the campaign.

However, Rajovic has come in for some criticism for his all-round performances, with some questioning his contributions to the side beyond his goalscoring impact at times.

Now though, Beattie seems to believe that is starting to change, which he feels may only complicate things with regards to Rajovic's future come the end of this season.

Watford fan pundit assesses striker's future

Seemingly, things have not always gone well for Rajovic this season, with the 24-year-old somewhat struggling to settle at Vicarage Road.

As a result, there may be some questions about whether he is the right man for the club in the long-term, which may leave them with a decision to make on the striker's future.

However, it seems Beattie may now be leaning towards keeping the 24-year-old beyond the summer window.

When asked by Football League World about whether the club should look to move Rajovic on in the summer, the Watford fan said:

"With regards to Rajovic it's clear that he can score goals. It's just that the goals he scores are more or less only in the six-yard box or just outside. Now that's not to take away from the goals he's scored, because they all count, but his link-up play and his work rate back to goal isn't amazing.

"However, there are glimmers of improvement, regarding his overall play, it's a tough one. I don't know.

"If there was a guarantee we were going to bring in a Championship striker that knows the Championship and is a proven goalscorer, then you might say 'move Rajovic on'. "I think a lot of fans are now starting to get behind him more, and like what he does more, and I think a lot of fans would be quite sad to see him moved on. So there's no definitive answer with this.

"Even I don't really know whether I'd like to see him moved on or to stay, I think my gut feeling is that I'd like to see him stay, which is not something that I think I would have said six months ago, so it's a tough one."

Rajovic only signed a five-year contract with Watford last summer, meaning his future at Vicarage Road is secure until the end of the 2027/28 season.

The Hornets, who recently appointed Tom Cleverley as their permanent manager after a spell in interim charge, are guaranteed to be in the Championship again next season.

They have long since dropped out of the race for promotion, but are at least now comfortably clear of the battle to avoid relegation.

An interesting call for Watford to make on Rajovic

This does feel like a somewhat strange situation to come across in all honesty.

It is rare to see the future of a club's top scorer being questioned in this way, especially after just a single season there.

That does perhaps highlight the level of frustration that Rajovic's performances appear to have generated, since he arrived at Vicarage Road.

However, his goal contributions suggest he can be an important player, especially if, as is suggested here, his all-round performances are starting to improve as well.

In that sense, it would seem a risky decision for Watford to move Rajovic on now, especially at a point where he might finally be starting to make some progress.

Indeed, the Hornets would surely want to benefit from that. His contract situation also means they are under no pressure to sell anytime soon, and have time on their side to develop him into a player who can make a decent profit for them in the years to come.

With that in mind, it would seem to make sense for Watford to keep Rajovic at the club beyond the end of this season.