When Troy Deeney left prison in September 2012 and returned to Watford he needed somebody to trust him. Somebody to give him a chance. That man was Gianfranco Zola.

“Gianfranco was massive for me at that point,” the Hornets’ captain told the Watford Observer last week.

“I came back with a very determined mind-set. He valued that. At the time I was probably eighth choice striker because of the number of players the club had signed.

“So he told me straight. I would have start at the bottom. I would have to prove to him that I should start.”

So Deeney did what arguably Deeney does best. He worked. And worked hard. But the electronic tag he had to wear following his release from prison meant the 27-year-old was forced to keep strict hours.

“I told him (Zola) I would be at the training ground during this time to this time.

"Over the next five days though he saw how hard I was working. I was in training at 10am and would leave at 4pm. I had to make sure I could be home in time.

“But during those hours I was outside training or doing work in the gym. I didn’t stop.”

Deeney quickly earned Zola’s trust and he started a friendly against Queens Park Rangers ten days after his release.

“I lasted around 70 minutes but I had asked to stay on. I wanted to keep playing.”

Three days later Deeney was named on the substitutes’ bench against Bristol City.

He was brought on in the 55th minute and received a mixed reception from supporters.

But the following weekend Zola named Deeney in his starting XI. He started and scored against Huddersfield Town.

The rest is history.

Zola would go on to leave Watford in December 2013 following a poor run of results.

Deeney, on the other hand, has gone from strength to strength at Vicarage Road. He is now a Premier League striker. One who has scored in consecutive away games and has three assists to his name this season. But Zola’s influence on Deeney remains to this day.

“The little techniques and tips Gianfranco showed me I still use in every game,” the former Walsall striker explained.

“I said to my missus that a few years ago, for my goal against Stoke, I’d have blasted my shot.

“Obviously I passed it in but that wasn’t something I had in my armoury until I worked with Gianfranco.

“When people show me something that helps me improve then I tend to run with it. So I’ve got to thank him for that.”