Watford head coach Javi Gracia has hailed the importance of long-serving forward Troy Deeney.

The 30-year-old endured a frustrating period during the last campaign, but the club captain got off the mark for this season in last weekend's 3-1 win at Burnley.

However, Gracia has insisted that Deeney adds much more than just goals to his team, suggesting that the frontman has a big role to play in the coming months.

The Spaniard told Sky Sports News: "I don't need to see Troy scoring more goals to know how important he is for us I always say in this team we don't only depend on the strikers to score goals. We need other players, as in Roberto Pereyra and Will Hughes to score goals as well.

"We know Troy is very important to us, whether he scores or doesn't."

Watford head into Sunday's meeting with Crystal Palace looking to register a third successive win in the Premier League.