Alex Geijo believes Gianfranco Zola is the best man to lead Watford as they attempt to secure Premier League football.

Geijo was one of 16 summer signings and ten from Italian club Udinese. The Swiss-born Spanish striker started his fourth game for Watford at the weekend against Burnley as the Hornets secured an away point.

The Hornets faced former manager Sean Dyche at Turf Moor five months after he was controversially sacked but Geijo believes the club made the right decision in appointing Gianfranco Zola in the summer.

"Zola is the best man for the football that we want to play," Geijo said. "The manager loves the ball, he loves playing football and we have players who like to play this type of football.

"I think he is the best [man for the job] and he is close to the players. He tries to help you as much as he can. He is not only a good manager, he is a good person as well."

When the Pozzo family, who also own Udinese and Granada in Spain, took over Watford, they clearly expressed a desire to reach the Premier League. Doing so in the first year was considered a tall order by many but with the Hornets sitting in seventh position and just three points from the play-off positions, securing promotion this season is a realistic possibility.

"We don’t know because it is difficult," Geijo replied when asked about Watford's chances of securing promotion. "The football has changed a lot. We had a good November but we have lost and drawn the last two matches.

"We have the team to think about the play-offs. Now we are seventh but we don’t want to be in the play-offs tomorrow, we need to be there at the end of the Championship season.

"If we continue to play well then I think we can get in the play-offs. It is difficult to say we will make it to the Premier League because there are a lot of good teams, like you saw against Burnley."

Watford underperformed against The Clarets on Saturday and would have been the happier of the two sides leaving with a point.

Gianfranco Zola opted for Troy Deeney and Geijo up front at the weekend; the first time the Italian has selected the partnership.

The move did not reap the benefits Zola was hoping for and when asked whether he thought the partnership could work, Geijo said: "We have a lot of different players. The likes of Matej Vydra and Fernando Forestieri are small and quick.

"I think against Burnley the manager maybe wanted two big boys because they are a big and strong team.

"It was not our best match and it was difficult but we continue and next week it is another match. We only look to the next game."

Watford's goal at the weekend came from Chelsea loanee Nathaniel Chalobah. The 17-year-old had an off day against Burnley and has struggled to maintain the exceptional form he showed earlier this season.

But Geijo said: "He is my friend so I hope he can play in the Champions League for Chelsea one day.

"It is difficult to tell because circumstances change a lot. At the moment it might be going well for you but you never know, you could end up with an injury.

"If he continues to do his job like he did at the start of the season then he is a player who can play in the Premier League for sure.

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"He has quality and he is just 17 - it is incredible. It is not like he is 25, he is 17 and is playing very well in the Championship.

"I tell you, if he continues like this, if he is lucky and continues to work, then he will play in the Premier League for sure."

Geijo added: "He is a confident player because he has quality on the ball. This is why I am telling you that he could play in the Premier League at 17. He has a lot of confidence, he has no problem taking the ball and taking responsibility. This player can go to the top."