When Lewis McGugan, Lloyd Dyer and Diego Fabbrini stepped off the Watford team coach for Wednesday’s friendly at St Albans City, Hornets supporters would have been forgiven for doing a double take.

After all it has been a while since either the midfielder or the two wingers were spotted in Hertfordshire, let alone in a Watford shirt.

That is because of a decision made by former Hornets boss Slavisa Jokanovic last season.

The trio – in addition to Keith Andrews and Mathias Ranegie – were told to stop training with the first team and were then sent out on loan for the remainder of the campaign to Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City respectively.

But all three are back with the Golden Boys and they have a clean slate. McGugan and Dyer both featured against St Albans while Fabbrini was an unused substitute.

And Hornets captain Troy Deeney says it is important the trio after given another opportunity to impress at Vicarage Road.

He said: “I am the perfect example of a second chance. Some people need that and it is fair enough. They have come back in and worked hard. You can tell that because the gaffer is playing them in the side.

“If they were being disruptive or a nuisance then the gaffer wouldn’t play them. There is that myth about bad eggs or whatever but they are here and working hard.

“And, personally, I prefer to have people who are not happy playing than people who are happy to pick up the pay cheque.”