Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has insisted that he will not push Danny Drinkwater for first-team contention despite the club's ongoing midfield crisis.

The Blues are currently with just one midfielder in Cesc Fabregas after Tiemoue Bakayoko suffered a groin injury in the 3-3 Champions League draw versus AS Roma.

With N'Golo Kante also sidelined, there had been a suggestion that Drinkwater could make his Blues debut versus Watford, but Conte has resisted this thought.

He told reporters, via ESPN: "Danny is progressing well, now he has started to work, not with us but he has started to work in a part of the session with us. 

"It is important to recover him well, if I try to put him on the pitch without good fitness it is a risk to have another injury. "

David Luiz had featured in central midfield during the midweek Champions League game, but he too sustained a calf problem, which could keep him out of the Hornets clash.

Andreas Christensen is a probable choice to feature alongside Fabregas in central midfield or else Conte may have to hand a Premier League debut to one of Kyle Scott or Ethan Ampadu.