Quique Sanchez Flores says there are four or five Watford players who deserve to play but haven’t had the chance because the current side are doing well.

The Spaniard has only given 16 players Premier League starts this season and eight of those have started ten or more games, leaving only three spots in the starting XI open.

Speaking after the Hornets’ 2-1 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday, Flores admitted there were still several members of his squad who had yet to be afforded the chances they perhaps deserved.

And that number includes Adlene Guedioura. The former Crystal Palace midfielder has been given just eight minutes of top flight action since rejoining the Hornets on a permanent basis on transfer deadline day.

“The situation is at the moment I can’t find the space in the first XI,” said Flores when asked why the Algerian had featured so sparingly.

“There are maybe four or five players who deserve to play. But the problem is the first XI who are playing with us since the beginning are playing really well.

“We are in a good position and we are normally competitive, so I don’t have the chance to change a lot of players. Including today, when before the corner kick in the second half I wanted to put Obbi Oulare on to say ‘you deserve your chance for four or five minutes’.”

Midfielder enforcer Valon Behrami was left out after taking a kick in the knee in training but showed no sign of an injury when he walked through the mixed zone shortly after full time.

Meanwhile, Jose Manuel Jurado was restored to the starting XI following calf and hamstring injuries. The Spaniard’s last appearance came in the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the end of September but his comeback lasted just 45 minutes before he was replaced by Chelsea loanee Nathan Ake.

“He helped a lot in the second half. He played very well,” said Flores of the Dutch Under-21 cap.

“The feeling with Jurado during the week was better than the feeling we had during the match,” admitted Flores.

“I feel Jurado is not ready. He came off and Ake went on and played really well.”

Flores’ policy on team selection has always been to only pick those able to train in the week leading up the match so they are fully fit and assimilated with the team’s tactics.

But with frequent international breaks in this first half of the season the decision has been taken out of the coach’s hands on more than one occasion.

“Against Arsenal we had a lot of problems with players coming back from international duty,” said Flores. “We were really tired and we suffered a lot against Arsenal, so I wanted to stick with the players who have trained with us in the last ten days – except Odion Ighalo.