A new partner for Mo the Destroyer?
Mikel Merino was absent from the 18-man squad for the West Brom clash after suffering a training ground injury and Benitez will hope to have the Spain under-21 international available for the trip to Watford.
If Merino is fit enough to feature at Vicarage Road it could prove costly for Jonjo Shelvey after the Newcastle no. 8 struggled to pick the lock to The Baggies stubborn rearguard and picked up where he left off after struggling to influence the game at Everton.
A back injury has restricted Merino to mainly substitute appearances in the last few months, but Benitez will be eager to begin the process of reintegrating the 21-year-old to the starting line-up ahead of next season.
