Troy Deeney will travel to Carrow Road with Watford as they prepare to face Norwich City in a game head coach Quique Sanchez Flores has described as “significant”.

The skipper has been missing from action for over two months after undergoing knee surgery in August, but has returned to training with the first team this week.

Speaking ahead of the game against the Canaries on Friday night, Sanchez Flores said the captain would be part of his matchday squad, but is still unsure how big a part he will play.

“He’s ready to come with the group, to go to the list and we will decide during these two days the final decision about him,” said the head coach.

“It’s very good news.”

Sanchez Flores was quick to point out that he was not using Deeney’s absence as an excuse for the fact the Hornets are still winless in the Premier League after 11 games and instead chose to focus on the work the club captain has been doing since suffering from the problem just two games into the new campaign.

“If I say we miss him a lot, it could sound like an excuse,” he said.

“So we don’t want excuses right now. We just want to play and improve on everything, but obviously everyone knows Troy Deeney in this team, what it means for the club, so you can imagine.

“He was doing amazing before to try to reach this match, to try to arrive for this match. He’s ready, he was training very, very passionately, transmitting the advice to the other players and trying to give us this positive energy that he has always.”

Other positives for Sanchez Flores come in the shape of a flurry of other players returning to training, with just Domingos Quina, Tom Cleveley and Danny Welbeck remaining out of the team.

However, the head coach knows Friday’s game could potentially shape the future of the season for both clubs involved and is still expecting a tough match, despite having an almost full squad for the first time since he returned to the club.

“It’s very good news,” he repeated.

“Not just for Deeney, also for [Etienne] Capoue, also for [Jose] Holebas, also for [Sebastian] Prodl, also for [Ismaila] Sarr, players who have recovered during the week. It’s many players, we have more options so it’s okay for the team.

“This is a significant match, we know perfectly. It’s a significant match that can decide a lot the future of the team in the league.

“Everything we’re thinking about us, they’re thinking about them. It’s like a big final for both teams. It’s not the end of the season, but it’s a big final for both of us because the way you can change the result can change the future for both teams. It can be very massive.”

With both sides struggling at the wrong end of the table, Sanchez Flores understands there may be more pressure than normal on his players to find a win against Norwich, even more so on the shoulders of the returning Deeney, who many believe could be the answer to Watford’s attacking problems.

However, the coach believes this is the type of situation in which the skipper can thrive.

“He can hold really well the pressure, “ he said.

“He’s not this kind of guy who will go down because it’s a massive match and he’s coming back. I’m sure if you ask Deeney right now if he’s ready to play tomorrow in the first XI, he will say yes.

“I’m not sure he’s ready for the first XI, but I’m sure what his response would be.”