Etienne Capoue missed Watford’s goalless draw with Sheffield United due to a back problem, but Quique Sanchez Flores feels the inclusion of Sebastian Prodl and Christian Kabasele should serve as a message to the rest of the squad.

The French midfielder’s absence was one of four changes the Hornets head coach made to his starting XI following the 2-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the return of Prodl arguably the most eye-catching after a year-and-a-half gap since he last started a Premier League game.

The Austrian international’s return was cut short by a leg muscle problem 10 minutes after the restart – Sanchez Flores was unsure as to the severity of it when he spoke to the press after the game when he also explained why Capoue missed out, but he was keen to point out every member of the squad has a potential role to play.

The Hornets head coach said: “This is a message. Not for Prodl, not for Kabasele, for every single member of the squad. They should be ready because they can play in some instance and they can go into the line-up for the first XI.

“It is very important for the players. All of them should be ready because now is the time to use then, all of them.”