Watford winger Ismaila Sarr admitted he was surprised by the standard of the Championship, as well as the physicality.

Speculation continues to surround the club's record signing following interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the summer, but no formal bid has been made for him yet this January.

The 22-year-old is not pushing to leave the club any time soon and is instead happy to use the season in the second tier to develop his all-round game.

Speaking to the club website ahead of tonight's trip to Millwall, he said he has more to offer the team than what he has produced so far this season.

“It's a hard league and it has surprised me a lot,” he said. “It's a very physical league and it's been tough, but I've just tried to work as hard as I can for the team. That's my job. You have to use your body more against defenders in this league as everyone is really physical. Everyone fights so hard and I have to win these battles for the team. I cannot only use my speed in the Championship and just use the threaded through ball. We must use different tactics and find a different way other than pace.

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“I can bring more to the team. We must keep winning games, especially against our direct rivals. Then promotion will be possible, but we have to be thinking about every game as if it's a final. It's very important to get back to the Premier League. This is our mission and everybody is working hard to fulfil this objective. It will not be easy, but this is our ultimate goal.”

Having joined from Rennes back in 2019, Sarr said it took him a while to adapt to life in England, but that Troy Deeney and his other teammates have helped him settle in over the last year and a half.

“It was hard to adapt and then I spent a bit of time without playing,” he said. “I didn't speak the language, but I tried not to speak too much and speak with my feet instead. I kept working very hard and eventually made it. I like it here a lot. Everyone at the club is very nice and very kind to me. Everyone tries to help me out. Troy was always helping me and being respectful even before [Sadio] Mané spoke [about looking after me] at Anfield. This is normal for Troy and he is always trying to help everyone in the team.”