In the minds of many Watford fans, Yaser Asprilla should be starting every week.

The Colombian, who scored the winner against Sheffield Wednesday, has featured in 11 of the 12 Championship fixtures this season, but only three times from the start.

The 19-year-old has made 50 league and cup appearances since joining the club last summer, and 31 of those have been as a substitute.

So, what does Asprilla need, in the mind of head Valerien Ismael, to be playing from the start?

“Consistency. As a young player you need consistency,” he said.

“Asprilla has started games. He started at Cardiff and was not good. He came from the bench today and he was brilliant.

“In other games he has come from the bench and been brilliant as well.

“But the consistency, goals and assists are key. At the end of the day, that is what counts and why you pay for players.

“We know he has the quality, we are working with him – but at some point we need consistency at a high level.

“If they get that, then players are able to produce goals and assists.”

Ismael says the midfielder has a very bright future, but he and his coaching staff have a number of areas to work on with him.

“I think Asprilla is able to do a lot of things, but I have a lot of work to do with him,” he said.

“First of all there’s language, so that he can understand what we are saying. He has his English lessons but it takes time.

“Then there is his performance. He needs to put that on the pitch every time.

“Thirdly, tactically he needs to understand when is the right moment to press, when to be more patient.

“Lastly he needs to develop a winning mentality - and I mean that he can be a key player, so when he decides to win a game, we can win a game.

“So we have a lot of work to do with him, as well with our other young players. But every time you get a breakthrough like today then he helps us to speed up the process.”

At the other end of the age spectrum, Jake Livermore completed his second successive 90 minutes in the win over the Owls.

“In the philosophy we’ve got it is important to have that strong No.6. It was the reason why Sierralta played that position because he has that profile,” said Ismael.

“Jake, that’s his position. He is 100% fit now, and he’s able to play 90 minutes and then go again.

“He is a leader, and that is what we need. I thought he took responsibility too at Cardiff, in difficult circumstances away from home when you’ve lost three on the bounce.

“He just gives us that stability and confidence, and he’s a positive guy. It’s why we brought him here, and we’re more than pleased that he is able to do his job.”