A cracking winner last Saturday at Rotherham, an absolute wonder goal in defeat at Norwich, six in total and four assists.

It’s little surprise Yaser Asprilla has been much talked about in the last week or so, although stories suggesting Barcelona might be prepared to splash upwards of £35m on the Colombian forward still seem a little unlikely.

Bear in mind that Asprilla has been linked with a move away from Vicarage Road during practically every transfer window since he broke into the Watford team in summer 2022.

The only person working harder than Asprilla himself is his agent.

Nonetheless, the 20-year-old is another young player making a very good name for himself with the Hornets on a conveyor belt from South America that has already produced two Premier League stars in Richarlison and Joao Pedro.

To have a Watford player linked with Barcelona, even if it is founded more in rumour than fact, shows the club are still adept at unearthing and polishing diamonds.

“I think this is a reward for the club and for the policy to make the transfers with young players,” said Valerien Ismael.

“It is also reward for the work we have done with young players, because one of the main topics when I came to Watford was to develop young players.

“So actually we are on track with our jobs, and we are seeing the reward for all the work we have put into them.

“The question now is do you want to take the next step? Are you satisfied and the season is done, or do you want to push for more now?

“Do you have the desire to do the extra miles to help us ensure we can keep the player on the same level?”

The problem with any such rumours can be whether the player concerned has their head turned.

“I didn’t see any sign of distraction,” said Ismael, when asked if Asprilla had been affected by the stories.

The Watford boss does have some exceptional young talent at his disposal, and one who has been a stand-out performer this season is Canadian international Ismael Kone.

“We have players with a lot of potential who have big talent and are huge assets for the club,” said the Hornets head coach.

“Ismael is one of those. We can see the potential that he and others have. We have seen some great performances already.

“It now becomes a question of going again and again and again, especially now as we head into the end of the season.

“We need to be able to pick from our best players, and for our best players to be able to compete and put their best performances on the table.

“If you are doing that then you have the best chance to compete in a game, and then if you do that you give yourselves the best chance of winning games.”

Ismael talked recently about younger players needing to feel loved, both within and outside the club.

“We spoke in a previous press conference about the love we need to give them,” he said.

“We need them to have that consistency because we know they have the potential, and we know they are able.

“What we have missed this season is the consistency to stay at the level.

“We’re pleased at the way they are able to perform and we have enjoyed some great goals this season.

“But we need to push to get them to the next level, and that is consistency so they can confirm the level of their performances.”