Watford manager Javi Gracia believes Gerard Deulofeu is able to show his "high quality" now he has been moved to a centre-forward as the Premier League club prepare for Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Deulofeu is a product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and spent much of his career as a winger at clubs including Everton as well as loan spells at Sevilla and AC Milan.
After impressing on loan at Watford for the second half of last season, Deulofeu completed a permanent switch to the club ahead of the current campaign and has enjoyed his most productive year of his career, scoring 12 goals in all competitions.
Two of those goals were key to sending Watford to the FA Cup final as Deulofeu came off the bench in the semi-final against Wolves with his side trailing 2-0. The Spain international reduced the deficit with a stunning finish, before scoring the winner in extra time.
2️⃣ more sleeps... pic.twitter.com/5Ty2u55qcP
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) May 16, 2019
Gracia has said that the increase in Deulofeu's goalscoring has been a direct consequence of his switch in position.
“He is a good player,” Gracia told the Watford website. “After that all of us; his teammates, the technical staff, medical staff, all of the workers – we try to help him to improve. With him, and with the rest of the players as well, it is our job.
“But the most important thing is the quality of the player. Deulofeu, you know, has a high quality.
“In this moment he is playing in one position more regularly, because in other seasons he has played as a second forward, as a winger, as a striker as well.
“This season he has played more often as a striker, with two up front. He feels comfortable playing in that position with his teammates.”
Deulofeu is sure to have a key role to play if Watford are to defy expectations by winning the final against Premier League champions City at Wembley Stadium.
City became the first team to successfully defend the league title in 10 years, claiming the second-most amount of points in a Premier League season, behind only their own record haul last year.
Pep Guardiola's side are aiming to win an unprecedented English domestic treble, having won the League Cup in February. City are five-time winners of the FA Cup, winning the trophy most recently in 2011.
Watford, meanwhile, are aiming to win the Cup for the first time in their 121-year history. The closest they came was the 1984 final when they lost to Everton.
