Watford boss Nigel Pearson admits Aboulaye Doucoure is playing with an injury.

The French midfielder was dosed up on painkillers at Bournemouth in order to manage "discomfort" and contribute to the 3-0 win.

"He's not trained this week, he had a fitness test on Saturday, so he's been playing with discomfort for a while and it was touch and go whether he played," said Pearson.

"But he's a very resilient lad and his demeanour's been very positive. He was desperate to play, but he's only played today because of conversations that we, as coaching staff, had had with the medical staff to make sure we understand what the risks are.

"He's shown today how much performing means to him and his team-mates and you need that desire in the situation that we find ourselves in."