Watford’s Nathaniel Chalobah said it was ‘a great feeling’ to make his long-awaited return to action against Manchester United on Sunday.

It has been a frustrating season for Chalobah, who returned to the Hornets from Chelsea last summer, with a fractured kneecap sustained in training back in September practically ruling him out for the entire campaign.

The injury came at the worst possible time for the young midfielder, who had just received his maiden call-up to the England team and the 23-year-old surely would have been in contention for a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad should he have remained fit.

Losing Chalobah was a blow for the Hornets, but the midfielder is now fully focused on getting himself back fit ahead of pre-season in July.

Speaking to Watford’s website, he said: “It’s a great feeling pulling on the shirt again. It started two days ago when I had to pack my bags and it felt a bit surreal getting my tracksuit back out again and staying in the hotel with the boys. It’s a great feeling but an even better one in the build up to the game. I’m chuffed.

“Eight months is a long time. It’s been hard mentally and even harder physically. I know I’ve got a lot of work to do and it’s not really the end of it at the moment. This is just the start. I’m grateful for the manager and his staff for giving me the opportunity today. Now I’ve just got to keep working hard and make sure I’m ready for next season.”

The Hornets were unable to make it a winning return to action for Chalobah, as Marcus Rashford’s first half goal handed Manchester United a slender 1-0 win.

It was a familiar feeling for the Golden Boys on the road, as they did have their moments, but were unable to take any of the chances which came their way.

Richarlison came closest to notching Watford’s first goal on the road since January when his header was superbly saved by Sergio Romero and Chalobah admitted that one lapse in concentration cost the Hornets at Old Trafford.

He said: “I thought we did well. I thought we were very competitive but against the big sides, one little lapse in concentration and they can hurt you. We need to take this and learn for next season because we’ve dropped a lot of points this season, so it’s something we need to work on.”