Watford new boy Emmanuel Dennis won't make his first start since returning to the club against Norwich City.

The Nigerian winger moved back to Vicarage Road on loan from Nottingham Forest in January, returning to the Hornets score sheet when he pulled a goal back against league leaders Leicester City on Saturday.

Manager Valerien Ismael says Dennis still needs to build up his match fitness, however, having played just 79 minutes for Watford in four appearances this season.

"No, not at the minute," he said when asked if the 26-year-old could start at Carrow Road. "I know we talked about Dennis and he is able to play each of the three positions up front. But at some point when we are trying to build a player up, some positions are very demanding.

"If you let him play as a No.9 as his first game then the injury risk will be bigger because he needs to run much more than in the wide positions.

"Our game plan before the game was for a lot of running in behind (against Leicester). When we put Dennis on, it was again our game plan to play more in behind, and he gave us that possibility."

Ismael admitted that Dennis' situation needs careful consideration, but commended his hard work to get back up to speed. He'll still be a threat to the Canaries, even if he isn't able to play the full 90 minutes at Carrow Road.

"It’s a challenge we have at the minute," he continued. "We don’t have the player 100%, and we need to manage him. I think it was excellent he stayed behind this week to have a build-up and now we see he is getting more and more in the right direction.

"He will give himself and us big confidence with the goal he scored, and now it’s about keeping pushing while protecting the player."