Maduka Okoye trains with Watford as they prepare for life in the English Championship

SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has begun training with his new English Championship side Watford as the club look set to name him as their first choice goalkeeper following the departure of Ben Foster.

Okoye, 22, was bought from Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam for £5m in January but was loaned back to the club for the rest of last season. Following the end of the season, the highly-rated goalkeeper has moved to England, where he has resumed pre-season training, settling in and getting in shape ahead of the new campaign.

Athletic’s Watford's Adam Leventhal, said: “You have to go back to the years immediately preceding the Italian takeover when Scott Loach was in goal to see another 22-year-old as first choice. Loach cost £50,000 from Lincoln City, while Okoye closer to £5m from Sparta Rotterdam.

"These are different times, with a different approach, albeit in the same division. Gino Pozzo’s preference was experience as Manuel Almunia, then Heurelho Gomes and more recently, Ben Foster, were all 30-somethings in-between the sticks."

Last season, former England international Ben Foster, 39, manned goal for Watford but with the expiration of his contract confirmed that he will be leaving Vicarage Road. Foster is currently talking to several other clubs at the moment, with fellow Championship side Middlesboro being the latest team he has been associated with.

Yesterday, Okoye trained with the rest of the Watford squad for the first time as they prepared for life in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League last season. Watford currently has several other Nigerian players on its books including William Troost Ekong, Samuel Kalu, Emmanuel Dennis and Tom Dele-Bashiru, although several of them are likely to be sold during the summer transfer window.