Quique Sanchez Flores confirmed Danny Welbeck was substituted during the early stages of yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur because of an ankle problem.

The England striker, who was making his third Premier League start for the Hornets after sustaining a serious ankle injury with Arsenal last season, went down with barely a minute on the clock in seemingly innocuous circumstances.

It was initially thought Welbeck had suffered a hamstring injury, but the Watford head coach explained this was not the case.

Sanchez Flores said: “I was talking about him in the last press conference about how he’s fighting with this injury. We know he’s happy to be with us, with the team. During the week he was good. He didn’t complain about anything and our feeling with him was really good, but the ankle is uncomfortable.”

The head coach had previously explained how the Hornets were managing the striker's return to get him fully fit and firing again.

Speaking after last month's Carabao Cup victory over Swansea City in which Welbeck scored his first Watford goal, Sanchez Flores said: "I said two weeks ago we have a plan for him. We are taking care with him and we are very passionate about him coming back to the team.

"I just want the fans to see the good version of Danny, not the kind of Danny who goes to the pitch with some pain. I want Danny 100 per cent so we can enjoy this Danny."