Hornets assistant coach Ruben Martinez believes it is a ‘big advantage’ for Watford to have the strength in depth with which to play different ways in Troy Deeney’s absence.

Martinez, who along with fellow assistant Javier Pereira will stand in for head coach Oscar Garcia against Bournemouth on Saturday (12.15pm kick-off), says the quality of the Hornets squad means Deeney’s absence should not be of undue concern.

The striker hobbled off towards the end of Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Blackpool after injuring his hamstring and will undergo further tests to determine the extent of the damage.

Tactical flexibility has been a trait of Oscar’s brief reign so far, with the Hornets switching between a back three and a back four in the defeat by Charlton Athletic on Saturday and latterly in Tuesday’s win against the Tangerines.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s (Saturday) visit from the Cherries, Martinez said Watford have the players to change their system and style of play without causing too much disruption.

He explained: “We have a big squad. We have good players to make a change and I think that the player that will play for Troy will do very well.

“We can play different systems; different formations. It is a good for us to combine different styles of play but we have enough players to play a different defence with three, with four or with five. We have a big advantage with this.

“We have enough players to change. It depends on the opponent and it depends on what we want to do in each game. For us it is a big advantage.”

The Spaniard added: “We have very good players that can play for Troy. We will do very well.”

Deeney’s absence also prompts the question of who will lead the side but Martinez was coy on who would captain the Hornets against Eddie Howe’s side.

“I don’t know. We will see,” he replied when asked.

It has been a stuttering start to the season for the Cherries, who sit 15th in the Championship standings having won two of their first seven fixtures but Martinez expects the south coast outfit to pose a tough challenge.

He said: “They are a big team. They like to play on the floor; they like to play quick with a lot of players in the middle. [They like to] overload in all areas of the pitch with their full-backs and midfielders.

“I think that we will be prepared for these things because they like to take the ball, they like to make a lot of passes and they like to play fast in the sides and for sure we will be ready for these kinds of things.”

The Golden Boys will be without Keith Andrews, who is suffering from a calf problem, but Fernando Forestieri and Gianni Munari have both returned from hamstring injuries to be back in contention.