Kevin Phillips: Michail Antonio could prove a great centre forward for Watford

Former Sunderland forward Kevin Phillips believes Watford’s signing of Michail Antonio could prove to be shrewd business both on and off the pitch.

After beating Southampton on the first day of the season, Watford have only won a single Championship game since and are yet to keep a clean sheet.

The Hornets are looking for results to build on to avoid being caught in any relegation trouble and potentially work their way towards the play-off picture.

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Character

In an exclusive interview with BestBettingSites, Phillips said of Antonio “He’s such a great character, isn’t he?

“He’s a leader, and of course what happened was terrible, but it’s great to see him back on the pitch.

“I think he could have a big role to play at Watford on and off the pitch, certainly off the pitch with his experience.

“He’s a massive handful; we’ve all seen that: a good, strong centre forward that can score goals as well.

“So it’d be really interesting to see how he performs from now to the end of the season, but I think that’s a really shrewd signing, on and off the pitch.”

Excellent

Despite his praise of Antonio, Phillips believes the current most complete centre forward in the Championship is Southampton’s Cyle Larin.

Phillips said “Cyle Larin has got everything; he possesses everything that makes a top striker. He’s strong, he’s good in the air, he gets in the box, and he scores goals.

“He’s the Championship’s top scorer with seven goals, and he scores different types of goals. I’ve seen that since he’s come to the club, he’s a huge threat.

“He was an excellent signing, a surprise signing when they signed him after losing Armstrong, but he certainly stepped up, and he’s definitely their main man.

“So he’s a player that, come the end of the season, if Saints are going to get in the playoffs or get promoted, he’s a player they have to keep fit.”

Read the full exclusive interview at BestBettingSites

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