Nigel Pearson does not want to put too much pressure on new arrival Joao Pedro but the head coach will have no qualms about playing the striker if he believes he can make a positive impact.

Terms between the Hornets and Brazilian side Fluminese were agreed back in 2018 and the 18-year-old arrived at the club last week ahead of his contract officially beginning on January 1, 2020.

He was introduced to the fans prior to Sunday’s win over Manchester United and his first available game will be the FA Cup third round tie against Tranmere Rovers, which could be a good first introduction to the side for the teenager.

Pearson said: “He’s a young lad. He’s only trained once in a short-ish session with a few players.

“I think it’s very important not to put a lot of pressure on a young man who is coming into a difficult situation but from my perspective, my attitude to young players is that if they’re good enough I don’t care how young they are really.

“If I think he can have a positive impact then at some point we’ll be seeing him.”