What looked potentially like a situation where Watford would be going into Sunday’s game with Blackburn with only one fit full-back has taken a turn for the better.

Valerien Ismael said earlier this afternoon that both James Morris and Jeremy Ngakia were fit and in contention for Sunday’s midday kick-off.

Morris went off before the break at Stoke last week with what was hoped was nothing more than some cramping in the back of his leg, and so it proved.

Ngakia was injured in the Carabao Cup tie at Stevenage and has missed the last two games, but he is also ready to play again.

“Everything is good with James. Yesterday he trained with the team, and Jeremy trained as well,” said Ismael.

“So the two of them are back in training, they are 100% and will be available for the game.

“We are still assessing Francisco Sierralta at the minute to see if he can be available for Sunday. We have two more training sessions – this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon – and then we will see.

“The good thing with him is he made all of the pre-season but this early in the season you cannot take risks. You have to be sure players are 100%.

“The extra time we have means having this game on Sunday is good.”

Loan signing Jamal Lewis won’t be available for Sunday and, with an international break looming in early September, the question is whether the Newcastle full-back is fit before then.

“The only player who will definitely miss the game is Jamal, as he is still training individually,” Ismael explained.

“We have the sports scientists working with him and he has made good improvement, but not enough improvement that he can be involved on Sunday.

“It’s a strategic decision for us now. We have two games left before the international break, and we need to find the balance and find the right thing to do for him.”

• Later this afternoon we’ll bring you Valerien Ismael’s thoughts on the signing of new No.9 Mileta Rajovic, and how he sees the Dane fitting in to his team.

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