Adam Masina’s signing sees Watford answer another of the key questions needing to be addressed during the summer transfer window by adding reinforcements at left-back.

Many Watford fans, though, will have little prior knowledge of a player who arrives at Vicarage Road from Bologna and is yet to play outside of his native Italy.

So who is the 24-year-old and what can he bring to Watford? We spoke to Italian football writer Adam Digby to find out the pros and cons of the Hornets’ fourth signing of the summer.

For Digby, the reported £3.5 million the Hornets paid for Masina represents a fine piece of business and he will offer a number of qualities Watford have lacked at left-back in recent years.

“I rate him very highly. He is an ultra-modern full-back who can deliver accurate crosses and pass comfortably into midfield,” Digby said.

“He is very solid defensively, knows his limits and plays within them rather than trying to do too much.”

Such attributes will bode well for a player making his first strides in the English game, which is never an easy task for any player as they come to terms with the frenetic pace of the Premier League.

Masina is not without his flaws, however, and 22 yellow cards and three dismissals in his previous 100 outings will be a concern. Another left-back in the mould of the fiery Jose Holebas would be by no means ideal.

Digby also highlights a lack of focus which has seen Masina fall short of the standards set in his breakout campaign in Serie B – a term which ended with Bologna being promoted and Masina picking up the league’s Player of the Season award.

“Masina broke into the Bologna side and showed great promise but plateaued a bit over the past year,” he said. “So did the whole team, though, and that’s why they got rid of the coach Roberto Donadoni.

“I think rather than specific areas, he could improve his overall contribution and he has perhaps been guilty of complacency, like many of his team-mates.

“Bologna were guilty of a collective lack of effort last season.”