The hardman defender who spent 14 years of his England career playing for Millwall, West Ham, Blackburn and Everton will spend the remainder of the season at Vicarage Road after impressing during a week of training with the Watford side .
He had been a free agent since leaving J-League squad Omiya Ardija and was linked with a move to the Sydney Olympics this week.
“The guys have been very welcoming to me here at Watford and it is my privilege to have signed for such a respected club,” he said on the Watford website. “But that’s just the start for me. I’m glad I was impressed enough to get a contract, but now it’s mostly about getting on my knees and doing what’s required of me to make my way into the squad and then into the Starting 11.
“I know it won’t be easy. There is a lot of quality in this team, players with international experience who will not want to lose their place for me, in a healthy way.
Neill, who has 96 caps for Australia, is aiming for a spot on Socceroos’ squad for this summer’s World Cup and has been in England since December training with former club Blackburn. Boss Ange Postecoglou has warned that he will only consider players who appear regularly at club level.
The Socceroos’ next game is against Ecuador in London on March 5, and the squad will be announced tomorrow.
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