Francisco Sierralta feels he has adapted well to life at Watford

The Chilean made his first notable league appearance against Huddersfield Town, coming off the bench to replace the injured William Troost-Ekong.

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While he struggled in that game, in which the Hornets ended up on the end of a 2-0 defeat, he has since gone on to make himself an important part of the Watford defence.

He told the club website his adjustment is a result of him working hard on improving the physical side of his game.

“I've played the last four in a row and my body has reacted well,” he said. “It was nice to get some minutes. I've been working every day on my left foot and on the physical side. The league is a physical one so I'd like to work on my body shape.

Picture: Action Images

“Coming from Italy to the UK has been a big change for me. What surprised me the most is how strong the strikers are. It's a really physical league and the pitches are quick as it rains a lot, so the ball runs quickly. You have no time to think.”

The 23-year-old has gone on to play in every match under new head coach Xisco Munoz, initially out of necessity due to injuries, but more recently because of his impressive form.

Sierralta said the team are a lot happier working with the Spaniard.

“He came in and changed lots of things,” he said. “We always did the same thing before, but he makes us do the simple things that makes us happy. He plays 5 vs 5 and rondos, so it's fun.”

The dream for Sierralta is to help Watford climb back into the Premier League.

Picture: PA

He knows in order for them to do that, they need to have the right mentality, starting with tonight's game against Barnsley.

“It's a dream to go back to the Premier League,” he said, “but we need to be focused game by game so the game on Tuesday is the next target. It's a difficult game as they beat us away so home games are important for us, so we must have the right attitude to get the points.”