Hector Bellerin may have only spent three months on loan at Watford during the 2013/2014 campaign but the Arsenal full-back made lasting friendships during his time at Vicarage Road.

The 20-year-old Spaniard joined the Hornets in November 2013 and went on to play eight times for the Golden Boys under Gianfranco Zola and then Beppe Sannino.

Training ground neighbours Arsenal cut short Bellerin’s stay with Watford in February 2014 as the young defender was struggling to assert himself in the Hornets’ first-team.

He has since gone from strength to strength. Bellerin established himself in Arsenal’s side last season and impressed in his 28 appearances.

The former Barcelona youngster is now the club’s first-choice right-back and is likely to be starting against Watford on Saturday when the Gunners make the short journey to Vicarage Road.

Many expect Arsenal, who were excellent in their last Premier League game against Manchester United, to breeze past Quique Sanchez Flores’ side.

However, Bellerin insists the Gunners will not find it easy against a Watford team he believes is more than capable of avoiding relegation this season.

“I’m looking forward to that (game),” he told the Evening Standard. “I actually met up with a few of my old Watford teammates recently.

"I had a good three months there and still see a lot of them. I’m in touch with Troy [Deeney] and a few of the others.

“It will be very nice to be back at the Vic. I think they can stay up in the league. They have the right team for it.

"They are a tough team to play against, they are a young team who like to play with the ball so I’m happy they have started well.”

Commentators often refer to the fact that Bellerin is the quickest player in Arsenal’s squad. He has beaten the club’s 40-metre sprint record that had been previously held by Theo Walcott and Thierry Henry.

But Hornets supporters got an early glimpse of the Spaniard’s pace on a trip to Leeds United when he ran almost the full-length of the field to tee up a goal for Cristian Battocchio.