(Reuters) - Watford striker Danny Welbeck will be sidelined for months after suffering a hamstring injury in their 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last week, manager Quique Sanchez Flores said on Thursday.
Welbeck was forced to come off in the first minute of Spurs the game and the 28-year-old, who recently returned from an ankle injury, is set for another long spell on the treatment table.
"It's bad news about Danny Welbeck, we need to check a little bit more and that will happen in the next weeks. I think it's a hard injury but we need to wait a little bit," Flores said.
"It is a hamstring injury. I have no idea how long he will be out, but it's for a long time. It will be months rather than weeks.
"It was not a risk (to play Welbeck) because when we were talking about taking care, we were talking about his ankle. This injury was his muscle, so it was completely different."
Watford, still looking for their first win of the season, were given an injury boost after Flores confirmed striker Troy Deeney was close to a return after undergoing knee surgery.
"We're very happy, he's back on the pitch, not with us but alone, and working with the medical staff. I hope he's recovering quickly," Flores added.
Etienne Capoue, Sebastian Prodl and Isaac Success are also close to a first-team return.
"(They) are training, they came from some injuries but little by little they are training day by day," Flores added.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)