Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is happy to have silenced his critics.

Inspired by boss Javi Gracia the £50million Watford star has scored ten times across the past two seasons and provided nine assists.

"At the beginning a lot of people said: 'Doucoure is not technical, he is only physical, he just runs,'" he told Mirror.

“When they see me play here now, score goals, make assists, they say: 'Ah no, he is technical now. He can play.'

“So for me it is like a battle. Like a war against people saying that. It's very important for me. I want to be seen as a normal midfielder who can score, can pass and can recover the ball. This is my battle."