Domingos Quina is expected to return to full training with Watford this week after recovering from a thigh injury.

The midfielder scored in a pre-season friendly win over Millwall earlier in the summer, but has been absent from the club's subsequent matches due to the problem.

He will become the latest player to return in time for the beginning of the season next weekend, with Tom Dele-Bashiru recently getting his first minutes of game time since damaging his anterior cruciate ligament against Reading last October and Kiko Femenia pushing to recover from his latest setback.

Quina is hoping to play an important part in the first-team this season and told the Watford Observer back in June: "I want to be starting every game. I want to play as many games as I can and that's my plan.

"I'm not content to just wait or to just be a substitute, I want to start the games, I want to play games, that's what I want. All I care about is playing and playing."

Whether or not he will have a key role in the midfield now depends on how much he can impress Xisco Munoz in training, having missed out on a large bulk of pre-season game time.

The club may also elect to send him out on loan, as they did midway through last season when he was transferred to Granada, with a number of players available for temporary moves.

However, as far as the player is concerned, he believes he is here to play this season.

"My understanding, from when I spoke to the manager, is I'm back to play, that's the way I see it," he said in that June interview.

"Of course, it's down to me as well to produce goals and performances, but the plan is for me to play.

"I think I have a point to prove to myself. For me, other people wanted me to go on loan, but I had a great experience in Spain. So I just need to come back and show them what I can do."