Head Coach Slaven Bilić is buoyed by increased forward options within his squad ahead of Saturday’s trip to Middlesbrough (January 28), with Keinan Davis and recent arrival Henrique Araújo both expected to be involved.
Davis - who has scored four goals for the Hornets since his summer move from Aston Villa - hasn’t featured since the away victory at Norwich City at the turn of 2023, due to a hamstring injury and then illness.
The boost of his return is complemented by the addition of Araújo to the attacking ranks, with the Portuguese youngster having jumped straight into training with his new teammates ahead of a potential debut at the Riverside Stadium.
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Bilić said: “The situation with the injuries and other absences is improving, and after already welcoming Hassane [Kamara], Hamza [Choudhury] and Leandro [Bacuna] back in the last couple of weeks, I think the main news now is that there is a good chance for Davis to be part of the game in Middlesbrough.
“As well, Araújo is available. He’s done a few sessions with us since the signing was confirmed, and he looks sharp. He’s very mature for his age, and he’s also going to be in the squad that travels.”
After being hampered with 15 senior absences ahead of the Emirates FA Cup clash at Reading earlier this month, Bilić is relieved that number is gradually decreasing in conjunction with the addition of some new players.
While Araújo, Ismaël Koné, João Ferreira and Matheus Martins have come in since the start of January - and William Troost-Ekong and Joseph Hungbo have left on loan - a handful of first-teamers are expected to be available to Bilić in the near future.
The former Croatia boss added: “Things are getting better - we’ve brought in some new players in this window, and we’re hopeful that some of our very important players will be available to us again in the next couple of weeks or so.
“João [Pedro], Tom [Cleverley], Imrân [Louza], Ken [Sema] and Kaba [Christian Kabasele] - they’re all progressing well and have been doing work on the grass. The challenge is that we’re not in a position where we can bring them back gradually, with weeks of training or in friendly games. We will have to be clever with how we manage them.
“Similarly with the new guys, we’re hoping they hit top form as soon as possible, because we have a lot of important games straight away. It’s good news though, and it’s exciting to know our options are increasing.”
