Troy Deeney may have to wait a bit longer than he had hoped before he can return to action with Watford.

The Hornets' skipper said he could see "light at the end of the tunnel" last week, leading to some speculation he may be available as soon as this weekend's clash with Bournemouth.

However, before Saturday's draw with Tottenham Hotspur, head coach Quique Sanchez Flores claimed it could take a little bit longer than was being suggested for the captain to be declared ready for action.

When asked if he would be available sooner rather than later, Sanchez Flores simply said: "I don't think so. With Troy the medical staff is working really well, but the time is time.

"Maybe I think between four or five weeks is the limit to the recovery, so I guess that maybe in two or three weeks he is running again."

Regardless, Deeney has still tried his best to make an impact on the team by making himself a presence in the changing rooms on match days.

Sanchez Flores said he has been a big miss on the pitch and that he is trying to instil the skipper's spirit into the rest of his players.

"Always we miss him, of course, it's the character of the team, the philosophy, what we want, the spirit," he said.

"We try to transmit to the players these things also, it's not that we depend on one player, he's very important we know but we have a lot of players with high quality, good skills and it's not just about the spirit it's also about how we can play."