Behrami compares Hornets teammate Pereyra to Serie A star

Watford unearthed their very own Marek Hamsik by swooping for midfield magician Roberto Pereyra over the summer, according to his Hornets teammate Valon Behrami.

Pereyra featured heavily for Juventus in their run to the Champions League final in 2014/15, but he fell out of favour last season before Watford signed him in a deal worth £10.4m.

And Juventus’ loss has very much been the Hornets’ gain this year, as the 25-year-old had already impressed in his debut Premier League season before his stunning winner against Leicester City on Saturday.

Behrami used to play at Napoli alongside Hamsik, where the Slovakian talisman has scored 103 goals in 419 games from midfield.

(Photo by Franco Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

And Swiss international Behrami said: “Pereyra is a brilliant player, a very nice guy.

“Not only his ability but his intelligence, he is a very intelligent guy. He is similar to Hamsik that we had in Napoli, he is very intelligent.

“He [Pereyra] knows where the ball needs to go, he knows where to find the space and he works very hard for the team. That is the important thing here in England as you need this kind of player.

“You can have quality but if you don’t work hard in England it is not easy. But he does both things, he has the quality and quantity and we are happy to have him in the team.”