Watford midfielder Almen Abdi has suffered another set back as he recovers from the foot injury which has kept him out since August.

Abdi has a complex problem where his foot seems to have recovered but then he receives unexpected sharp pain when he twists and turns.

It is an injury which if aggravated can lead to long-lasting problems so the Hornets' medical team have tried to be patient with the player's recovery.

Abdi last played on August 31 and was initially expected to return in mid-September before he was delayed.

The club's current player of the year trained on a couple of occasions last week and it was hoped he would return to the squad against Brighton, but he again suffered sharp pain in his foot during the sessions.

This ruled him out of last night's 1-1 draw and speaking from the Amex Stadium, head coach Gianfranco Zola said: "Abdi has had a little set back this week which is disappointing.

"To be honest if you ask me when he will be back now then I won't be able to say when.

"We hope it will be soon because he is an important player to us."

You can listen to Zola's post-match press conference following last night's 1-1 draw below.

listen to ‘WatfordObserverSport talk about Zola on Brighton draw’ on Audioboom