Watford got off to a winning start to life under Rob Edwards on Monday night, after claiming a 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the Championship.
And it was a commanding performance from the Hornets who had 10 attempts on goal compared to Sheffield United’s six, as well as the majority of possession.
It bodes well for their next game away at West Brom next week – another tough outing for Watford in their quest for secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
And one man who could play a pivotal role in that attempt is Joao Pedro.
The Brazilian was the man on the score-sheet on Monday, finishing off a quick attack from Watford to hand them the three points.
He caused Sheffield United a lot of problems on the night, sitting in and around the box as the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Emmanuel Dennis worked the channels, with Edwards labelling Pedro’s performance as ‘incredible’.
Pedro is a striker with great pace, agility and a poacher’s instinct, and he’s surprisingly good in the air for a fairly small player.
And he’s certainly built on those attributes going into his third full season with Watford. Last time in the Championship he netted nine times in 38 league outings, finding the net three times in 28 Premier League outings last time round.
It’s easy to forget that Pedro is still only 20 years old but this season, playing in the Championship and in a set-up that favours fast-paced and attacking football, Pedro could really start to fulfil his potential.
There’s a reason why teams like Liverpool were sniffing around Pedro before Watford snapped him up – he’s got that typical South American flair about him in the way he glides across the pitch and works himself out of tight spaces, and this season could be the season that Watford fans really start to see Pedro become a top player.