Troy Deeney is feeling excited ahead of Watford's return to the Premier League.

The striker feels he has already been written off ahead of the new campaign, but insists he has nothing to prove and is instead focused on enjoying himself.

“The excitement [of playing in the Premier League] is completely different to be totally honest,” Deeney told Sky Sports.

“First time around there was a nervous energy as to whether I could do it. I’d been doing well beforehand in the Championship, but could I actually do it in the Premier League?

“There was excitement and all of the things that come with that; playing at Old Trafford, Anfield, St James’ Park - big grounds I’d watched as a kid. Could I do it as a striker with the expectation and as a captain, as I was at the time?

“Now, it’s all about enjoying it, proving myself right. I’ve had a couple of seasons of injuries, and people like to write you off when you get over 30 and say you’ve become an OAP.

“I’ve enjoyed it so far, I know it’s going to be tough, it’s a cliche but it’s the Premier League, it’s the best league in the world and there’s stiff competition. The challenge is: are you up for it, yes or no? We’ll soon find out.”

Despite missing a lot of last season with injuries, the captain says he is in a good place going into this campaign, having learnt how to manage his workload better.

“Injuries dictate more of what you do rather than age," he said.

“I’ve not missed a day’s training during this pre-season, whereas people around me who are 23 and under have had to because of their injuries. They have had to miss the odd day here and there because certain loads are too heavy for their knees or Achilles for example.

“As you get older you have to manage your body, but you understand it better than anyone else. Right now, I feel very good, for the first time since the age of 27 or 26 I’m not playing with an injury, which is nice. Touch wood, it continues.

“I’m honestly just enjoying it. I’ve been written off now by everybody, really. People question whether I can still score, whether I can do this, or can I do that, now I’m over 30. I’ve got nothing to prove."

Another important task for Deeney this season is making sure the new players are bedded in to the squad and performing as well as they can.

Himself and a few of the other more experienced players are making sure those new arrivals understand the ethos of the club.

“For all of us - myself, Ben Foster, Tom Cleverley, the older pros - there’s an unwritten rule that you have to welcome people in but get them to understand what this club is about," he said.

“It’s a family club, there’s huge history, despite people labelling us a little club, and we’re a big club in the community. We have a lot of fans that can remember the Elton John days, Luther Blissett, John Barnes, all the way through to Tommy Mooney and Paul Robinson, all these people.

“The trend underlining all of that is that we are a family club, so there is no point coming and signing here and then being a bit too big for your boots and thinking you can’t do community projects. That is what we pride ourselves on, and we let the players know that.

“It’s always about making the club better."