Head coach Valerien Ismael confirmed that when he was looking for a No.9 in the summer he was offered the chance to sign Emmanuel Dennis then, but rejected it because the player did not fit the profile of what he was looking for.

Six months on and the Nigerian international has returned to Vicarage Road on loan as the Watford boss sought to bring speed and composure to his forward line.

However, Ismael – while delighted fans are so pleased to see Dennis back – also urged supporters to be patient as the player may need “two or three weeks” to get up to match sharpness and fitness.

“In the summer, the clear profile of the player we wanted was a No.9 and I like to play with a strong No.9,” said the Watford boss.

“The name Dennis came on the table but I didn’t see him as the No.9 I expected in my mind or in the profile I look for.

“But now the profile is more for someone who plays on the wing, and Dennis has exactly the profile we expected for that role.

“That is why now the move is possible, because now Dennis has exactly the profile we needed.

“We’re very pleased our fans are excited by the signing because we know the quality he has, and he did very well at Watford before.

“But we need to manage expectations, and we will need to give him time.

“I think his last game was at the end of November and he hasn’t had team training, so this week was the first time he has trained with a team since then.

“He needs time. He just needs time to make sure he can build up while we stay patient with him, and at some point we all want to see Dennis performing like he did in 2021.

“It’s my purpose, along with my staff, to make sure we can get him on that path.”

After last week’s draw at Bristol City, Ismael highlighted the need for maturity and composure in the final third, and believes the arrival of Dennis helps add that.

“I think it was obvious why we took Dennis,” he said.

“When we assessed the squad we were pleased with the players but we had the feeling that we were missing some speed in behind, some 1 v 1 situations, and composure in the opponent’s box.

“It was a profile we wanted to have in our squad.

“So then we went through the market and in January it is always a difficult market but then Dennis came quickly on the table.

“The main thing was the player wanted to come back, and this is the reason why everything went well on this transfer.

“He made a lot of sacrifices and showed a big mentality to make the transfer and come back.

“He showed he had love for Watford and for the club, and he wanted to come and help.

“When you have the possibility to have the quality like that then you take your time, stay patient, and pick the right moment to close the deal.

“He has everything that you expect from an attacking player.

“He is fast, he is very clever in his movement and technically he is excellent. When you come into the box he has the composure in front of goal.

“He has experience. He is still young but he has experience.

“Now the next step for us is to manage expectations. We know that Dennis hasn’t played for a long time now and my job, with the staff, is to enable him to stay with us until the end of the season.

“By that I mean that he is able to play, so we need to have a proper build up with him, and to take care of him.

“On the other hand we need him on the pitch, but we have to understand that at the minute it will take time until he is ready to start a game.

“It will all depend on Dennis. He recovers quickly but we have a lot of games at the moment, so we have to adapt in any game and we will go week by week.

“But I think we will need at least two or three weeks to make sure that he is able to get the rhythm we expect.”

While Dennis clearly adds to what Watford have on the pitch, there is the fear he could detract from the unity of the squad off it.

While aware of stories about the striker, Isamel said he would judge him on what he sees and hears himself.

“I never, never listen about what people say. It’s always about when you speak with the player face to face, and you explain to the player the rules.

“We have rules in place for everyone, and at the minute I do not recognise any situations with him.

“He is motivated, he is happy to be here and we are very pleased that he is with us.

“We are all focussed on one thing and that is to have the success we want.”