Ryan Andrews comes back into the squad for Wednesday’s trip to Preston, easing a slight issue in the wing-back positions which surfaced in the second half against Sunderland on Saturday.

With Andrews sidelined by a slight hamstring problem and Jeremy Ngakia rejoining training later this week but unavailable for selection until after the upcoming international break, the Hornets had only three fit wing-backs on Saturday.

Both Festy Ebosele and Yasser Larouci needed to come off before an hour had gone, so Tom Cleverley deployed Ryan Porteous on the right with Ken Sema playing on the left.

It wasn’t a position that Porteous looked particularly comfortable in, but with Andrews now back in the squad it makes life a little easier.

“I’ve always said we need four wing-backs, but by no means are my substitutions premeditated,” said Tom Cleverley.

“It’s a demanding position, and these are explosive players. It’s very rare to find explosive players who are aerobically perfect.

“They will need to come off a lot between perhaps 55 and 70 minutes, so although substitutions aren’t pre-planned I like to go into a game with four wing-backs available.”

Daniel Bachmann was “very close” to being fit for the game on Wednesday but won’t make the trip to Preston, while both Francisco Sierralta and Kevin Keben are still weeks away from fitness.

Angelo Ogbonna made an impressive home debut against Sunderland but the 36-year-old, like skipper Moussa Sissoko who is 35, will be watched carefully during a week which sees three league games played.

“We’ll see that after Wednesday, and I expect them both to be involved because they have responded well from the game on Saturday,” said Cleverley.

“We do have to manage those kind of players a little bit more through the training aspects of the week.

“But I expect them to ready and available for the game at Preston, and then we reassess after Wednesday when we have a much smaller recovery and preparation time.”