Slavisa Jokanovic has claimed Watford did not make enough of an effort to keep him at Vicarage Road after earning promotion to the Premier League.

The former head coach guided the Hornets back into the top flight in the 2014-15 season, but left the club during the subsequent summer after failing to agree a deal.

In an article for The Coaches' Voice, Jokanovic has said it was an easy decision to walk away from the club and that he did not feel wanted.

"People called me crazy for leaving a team that had just been promoted," he said.

"They said it must have been a difficult decision for me to go that summer. But it was not. I didn’t believe they felt I was the right person to take Watford into the Premier League, and they didn’t make enough effort for me to stay.

"In this situation, my feeling was that it was better for me and for Watford too, to continue life. It wasn’t complicated. As always, I went with my feeling. But I couldn’t stay away from England for long."

Jokanovic eventually went on to manage Fulham and, as he had done with the Hornets, guided them into the Premier League, but was unable to steady the ship in the top flight and was replaced by Claudio Ranieri.

Nevertheless, he remains fond of England and its football and said when he first arrived at Watford, he felt he was going to the best place to learn about coaching.

After struggling during a period playing in the Premier League with Chelsea, the Serbian said he was more prepared for life in England and that things were much easier when he arrived at Vicarage Road.

"I got my first job as a manager in England, with Watford. It felt like the opportunity I had been waiting for," he said.

"Football in England was more competitive than anywhere I had worked before. I believed it was the best country in the world for working in this profession.

"I had first-hand experience of the English game, too. The first time I came here was as a player, 18 years ago. At the time, I had been playing in Spain for seven years – at Real Oviedo, Tenerife and Deportivo la Coruna – and I was happy there. But the opportunity to play for Chelsea and get a taste of the English game I had seen and heard so much about, was too big to resist.

"I can tell you now, though, that it was not an easy experience for me. In Spain, I had become used to a different kind of football. Not only that, but it was a different style of life, too. In the beginning, I had to learn many things.

"By the time I moved to Chelsea, I was 32 years old and near the end of my playing career. I played for the club for two seasons and it was a tough time for me – both on and off the pitch.

"But tough times are often the most important ones, and this is true for me. Going through this period meant that when I came back to England as Watford manager in 2014, I knew the mentality of the people. I knew football in England. I knew what was life in England. I knew where I was. In almost every way, this start felt like an easier one than my first experience here as a player.

"Things were better on the pitch, too. After 36 games in charge of Watford, we won promotion to the Premier League. But my future did not belong there."