By his own admission Watford’s Miguel Layun struggled to perform in the Championship last season. But in the Premier League it took the Mexican just 14 minutes to make an impact.

The 27-year-old scored the Hornets’ opening goal against Everton in Saturday’s 2-2 draw and looked at ease in the Golden Boys’ side. Something that wasn’t evident during the previous campaign.

Layun’s inclusion in the starting XI at the weekend was surprising given he spent the majority of Watford’s pre-season campaign in America with his country Mexico.

But El Tri’s victory in the Gold Cup will have provided a welcome confidence boost for the wideman and that was evident at Goodison Park.

Layun started as a left winger in Watford’s 4-2-3-1 system and put in a shift. He constantly tracked the runs of Toffees’ right-back Seamus Coleman but was effective when he attacked.

Layun is a popular player in the Hornets’ dressing room and defender Craig Cathcart said the Watford squad were delighted for the Mexico international following his first goal for the club. 

“Miguel is a very positive guy and someone who is easy to speak to in the dressing room,” Cathcart said. “He speaks good English and is always in good spirits. He is a player that is very good for the group.

“He’s gone away with Mexico this summer and won the Gold Cup so he has come back with a lot of confidence. And it takes time for any player to adapt to English football.

“But we are delighted for him because it was a great strike and he put in a very good performance overall.”

Cathcart’s positive words were echoed by Watford head coach Quique Sanchez Flores after Saturday’s draw.

“Layun has trained with us for no more than a week but he is a good player,” the Spaniard said.

“When the ball goes to Layun or (Jose Manuel) Jurado we can breathe a little bit more. For instance, we have people who run a lot without the ball and that makes it difficult to recuperate.

“So when we can connect passes with the likes of Layun, Jurado and (Etienne) Capoue it gives us a better balance without the ball.”

Flores added: “It is important to have players who can give their best, who can understand the system and who can play is good for us.

“Layun is working well and I love players who can play the ball. Layun was in the line-up today but we will have to decide the players for the next game.”