ALBION boss Chris Hughton expects Anthony Knockaert to rise to the challenge of the threat to his place.

The Frenchman, pictured, will start today’s first Premier League fixture at Watford on the right-wing, which is also the best position of record signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

Knockaert ended last season with three goals and only one assist, but he finished the campaign strongly and looked sharp in pre-season.

Hughton said: “What I’d expect and what I’d like from him is to learn from last season. We tend to judge players on an end product – so if you are a striker it’s how many goals can you score and if you’re a wide player how many goals and assists.

“One thing we always got from Anthony was his contribution to the team. But we would want more goals and assists from him and that’s one thing that he can learn. That can be a challenge for him.

“But he has given us a real good feel in the team. Even in games when he hasn’t played well he’s participated well and given us a real good balance.

“We’ve also bought in Jahanbakhsh who plays on that flank. So there’s real good competition for us. All you want is for every player to accept that challenge and be better for it.

“Anthony’s an emotional player who loves his football. And when he’s on top of the game he’s very good – like in the Man United game before the end of last season. He enjoys playing and I think he’ll be very much up for the challenge.”

Bernardo is expected to be the only new signing of the ten made by Albion this summer to feature in the starting line-up at Vicarage Road.

David Button, Martin Montoya, Leon Balogun, Yves Bissouma and Jahanbakhsh are all bench contenders.

Jason Steele is third-choice keeper after injury, Florin Andone is sidelined, broken foot victim Dan Burn has gone back to Wigan on loan and Percy Tau is heading out on loan to ease work permit complications.

Hughton told The Argus: “They are either going to come in and start or give us that competition and I always like to think players come in to give us competition.

“If you’d asked me at the start of last season how we were going to do, I couldn’t have told you. If you asked me how I feel then I would have felt confident enough that we could match the levels we needed to match.

“You never know and that would be exactly the same at the start of this season. I’d like to think we can use the experiences of last season, the fact that we have got more direct competition for places now in more positions.”