Adalberto Penaranda offers Watford a new dimension in attack, according to Watford head coach Javi Gracia.

Despite signing in July 2016, the Venezuelan has had to wait patiently for a work permit which the club finally confirmed had been granted on Wednesday.

The news was accompanied by a new five-year contract with the Hornets and, in theory at least, Penaranda could play some part in tomorrow’s clash with Liverpool.

The Reds’ visit may come too soon for the forward, who Gracia intends to deploy as a striker, but the Spanish head coach is in no doubt about the potential of the 20-year-old.

“Adalberto is available and I think he needs time to train hard in the next weeks to be in the best condition. He is a very good player for us and I am sure he can help us,” Gracia said.

“He can play in different positions but I think he is a striker. He is a young player with a brilliant future.

“Whether he plays is not just down to him and other players are playing very well. It is a good move for us to have him and he offers us a different option.”

Penaranda already has a sizable reputation even if he is yet to make an outing for Watford but still faces the task of delivering on considerable potential.

Gracia makes no secret of his admiration of the latest addition to his squad’s ability and believes he will complement the likes of Andre Gray, Troy Deeney, Isaac Success and Stefano Okaka well.

“He has a lot of quality with the ball in possession and when using his body to play. He is a very good finisher who can score a lot of goals with his quality, but he needs to find rhythm and play,” he said.

“I am happy with all my strikers and they can all offer different qualities which will help us at times this season.”