They may only be pre-season fixtures, but Tom Ince has achieved something in the last week that he hasn’t managed for nine months – starting two consecutive games.

The veteran of more than 500 career appearances played less than 850 minutes for Watford last season, and only 165 of those came after the turn of the year.

He was linked with moves with away and seemingly was very much on the fringe – and while pre-season is not always a clear indicator of what will happen when the competitive stuff starts next month, Ince has stood out in the first two public friendlies.

He’s been helped by being played as a No.10 tucked in behind the main striker, a role that head coach Tom Cleverley feels the former Reading, Derby and Stoke player has the attributes for.

“Tom is a really intelligent player, and what you need and what we want from our No.10s is a good football brain,” Cleverley said.

“We want players who know when and where to make movements.

“That is a real attribute of Tom’s, he has tremendous game understanding.

“It’s good to see him getting an opportunity and taking it.”

Another player who has caught the eye so far this summer is Kwadwo Baah, who has not even kicked a ball in a competitive game for the Hornets three years after joining from Rochdale.

The 21-year-old scored an impressive opener and then won the penalty for Watford’s second goal in the 2-2 draw at Stevenage on Saturday.

“Kwadwo is probably the only player who really doesn’t benefit from the system we’re playing,” Cleverley explained.

“He is an out-and-out winger, and we tried him in the in-house game with Reading as a wing-back, and that was an experiment that didn’t quite work.

“So then we thought we lack a little bit of pace in the No.9 position, so we tried him there.”

Recent signing Rocco Vata made a lively 30-minute cameo in the game at Stevenage after his recent move south from Celtic.

“We don’t want to put too much expectation on Rocco yet because he’s only played a handful of senior games,” Cleverley pointed out.

“But we are seeing signs that are promising.

“He wants to learn, he wants to work hard and he is starting to understand the position.

“You can see the intensity and sharpness that he plays with.

“He is a very exciting player, but for now I want to try and keep a lid on it.”