Given he has established himself as a first team regular at Watford it is little surprise Nathan Ake is enjoying working under Hornets head coach Quique Sanchez Flores.

It took the Netherlands Under-21 international a little bit of time to earn the Spaniard’s trust but he has now started the Golden Boys’ last four games and has cemented himself as the club’s left-back.

Against West Ham United yesterday Ake played a key role of helping Watford to victory. He was solid defensively against the tricky Victor Moses, and after half time Mauro Zarate, while also making useful contributions in attack - one of which led to Odion Ighalo’s opener.

“Every week I'm learning new things and I have the trust of the manager,” Ake said after yesterday’s win.

“He allows me to make mistakes but also sees that I am improving and getting better every game.

“He is always giving advice. We watch clips of what I can do better and that gives me confidence which is really important at my age.”

It is easy to forget that Ake is only 20. On the field he doesn’t ever appear flustered. He has a wise head on young shoulders.

“I’m definitely feeling more comfortable,” he admitted. “I think as a defence we are playing better every week. 

"Tactically (Miguel) Britos is really good and defensively we don't concede many chances.

“The whole back four talk to each other throughout the game and the way we are performing is really good. But we can always improve.”

While Ake is thriving at Vicarage Road his parent club Chelsea are in turmoil. The Blues sit 15th in the table and there is constant uncertainty surrounding Blues boss Jose Mourinho's future.

“I would never have expected Chelsea to be below Watford at this stage,” Ake said.

“But Chelsea will come back. They are a good team. It's difficult to know if we (Watford) can finish above them.”