Joao Pedro insists he can handle the pressure of being one of Watford’s main goalscorers this season, as he looks to build on his goals tally and fire the Hornets back into the top flight.

The Brazilian teenager opened his account against Watford’s rivals Luton Town earlier in the campaign, but has not been able to find the target since.

While he recognises the importance of that strike, he also knows he has to develop further to have the kind of impact he wants.

“Aside from being a boy, I’m a footballer,” said the young striker. “I don’t see it as pressure, the fact that I’m young motivates me more. Also, it helps to see other youngsters and to see me motivate them. I don’t really see it as pressure, I just see it as a chance to fulfill my abilities.

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“That goal (against Luton) was very important to me, especially for my confidence. I’m working really hard and that goal meant that I could get to a better level, which is something I’m working on with my teammates.”

Another great source of motivation is former Watford player Richarlison, who trod the same path that Joao Pedro now finds himself on, having arrived at Vicarage Road as a teenager before departing for big money after impressing early on.

Pedro said that Richarlison’s development is something he is hoping to be able to copy while he is with Watford.

“Richarlison was a big player here and I recognise that,” he said. “Something he did here was progress to a better level and he took advantage of games and training, and he adapted and that’s exactly what I want to do.”

In order to develop, the 19-year-old first had to get used to his surroundings, with England’s climate very different to that of Rio de Janeiro where he grew up.

However, he feels he is acclimatising well and hopes to keep adapting.

“I’ve got used to it but when I arrived it was so different from Brazil,” he said.

“It’s a lot colder, but I think I’ve adapted well and that’s what I wanted.”

Head coach Vladimir Ivic said he was pleased with how well Pedro had developed in such a short time since his arrival and believes that he is growing with confidence with every game and training session that goes by.

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However, the boss also called for patience with the striker and said he needs time to learn his craft.

“Joao is a player with potential and quality,” said Ivic. “He started to play this season, played all the games until now. He works hard, he works day-by-day to improve himself, to prepare himself for the next game, to put himself to the team, to work for the team.

“This is most important for me. He’s one of the strikers that we have in this moment and for sure, we’re happy that he’s the guy who’s growing game-by-game, who will for sure be one of our important players this year.

“He’s 19-years-old. All of us know that with him we need to have patience, we need to work with him hard, we need to prepare him game-by-game. With young players you need to work.”