Manuel Pellegrini Reveals His Reaction to Domingos Quina's Sale to Premier League Rivals Watford

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he was not responsible in the decision to sell highly-rated teenager Domingos Quina to Watford. The Hornets

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he was not responsible in the decision to sell highly-rated teenager Domingos Quina to Watford.

The Hornets signed the 19-year-old from their Premier League rivals for a fee in the region of £1m, after the Portuguese starlet struggled to make an impact at the London Stadium.

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Ahead of West Ham's clash with Watford on Saturday, in which Quina is expected to feature, Pellegrini claimed he did not sanction the Portugal Under-20 international's departure.

He said (as quoted by the Daily Mail): "I didn't sell him in the summer, I didn't know about him because when I arrived here he was playing in Portugal with his young national squad.

"After that he couldn't play with us in pre-season and later I heard the news that he was sold."

Pellegrini added: "I'm happy for him that he is playing well at Watford but he was never considered in our squad. Does he have a point to prove? Maybe, but I don't think he will have special motivation."

Having signed his first professional contract with West Ham in November 2016, Quina failed to make a single Premier League appearance with the Hammers and was restricted to sporadic outings in cup competitions.

After arriving at Vicarage Road however, the 19-year-old has enjoyed a greater number of first-team minutes in his short spell with Javi Gracia's side.

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Quina scored a stunning goal on his Watford debut as his new side overcame Reading in the second round of the Carabao Cup in August. 

He then became the Hornets' youngest ever Premier League goal-scorer when he found the back of the net in Watford's 3-2 victory over Cardiff, aged just 19 years and 27 days.