Watford captain Troy Deeney has welcomed the club's buy English policy.

The Hornets talisman ran out of time to face Liverpool after a groin operation, but after Watford's £39 million spend on four English signings – Andre Gray, Nat Chalobah, Tom Cleverley and Will Hughes – the language barrier is coming down.

Deeney said in his captain's programme notes: “There's been a nice emphasis on adding to our home-grown players.

“The Premier League is not a place where nationality is relevant, but you can't get away from the fact that if players are comfortable with the language and the footballing environment they are likely to settle quicker.

“When you do get someone coming in from overseas like Richarlison, for example, more time can be devoted to him as someone from a different country deserves as much care and attention as you can give them."