William Troost-Ekong already knows exactly what is expected from him at Watford, despite only arriving less than a month ago.

The Nigerian defender praised head coach Vladimir Ivic following the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the weekend and said that the boss's open communication allows the players to know the reasons behind all of his decisions.

Speaking to the club's matchday broadcast show Hive Live on Saturday, Troost-Ekong said he understands that he may not play every game due to the amount of competition in the squad, but is pleased that Ivic explains his choices ahead of the games.

“The coach has made it clear what he expects from us," said the defender.

Watford Observer:

“That's the biggest thing. He also talks to the players. People see him as a serious person, but he speaks to the players and he keeps everyone in the loop about what he's doing. If you've played well and yet are rotated, he gives you the heads up and that helps so there are no surprises. We have lots of competition and everyone is fighting to do well when they get the chance."

Troost-Ekong may well be rested for tomorrow evening's game at Adams Park where the Hornets will take on Wycombe Wanderers.

After his arrival, he has taken part in two matches, but is still adjusting to the Championship and to the demands of the schedule.

“I managed to hang on,” he said. “I felt my hamstring a bit. I'm still adjusting to the speed of the game as my last game with my [former] club was the third of August. I'm still working on my match fitness so I'm happy to get 90 minutes in my legs. The Championship is a different type of football. It's more direct and you don't have so much time with the ball. It's good quality, from what I've seen, and I'm looking forward to the next game.”

Reflecting on the draw with Bournemouth, Troost-Ekong said it had felt like a defeat, given the fact Watford scored early on in the first-half, only to concede an equaliser in the fifth minute of added time in the second.

“We are a little bit disappointed to only get a point, but if you'd have said before the game we'd get a point, we'd have probably taken it,” he said. “Of course it's disappointing when you concede so late in the game and it felt a bit like a loss, but if you look back at the game, without a biased view, they had the ball a lot so a draw was probably a fair result.

“We should have perhaps tried to defend a bit higher, especially in the second half, but it's quite difficult as we didn't have the right pressure on the ball. They tried to play behind us quite a lot, so they pinned us back a bit with the ball in behind. They moved the ball well and as soon as we tried to get up the pitch, they tried to get behind us. They had quick players, so we had to cover the space.”