Gianfranco Zola expects Troy Deeney to sign a contract extension with Watford and believes the striker is good enough to play in the Premier League.

Deeney scored a double against his beloved Birmingham City yesterday afternoon to take his tally for the season to 14.

The former Walsall man is out of contract in the summer and has attracted the interest of several Premier League clubs, if reports are to be believed.

When Zola was asked if Deeney was good enough to play in the Premier League, Zola replied: “Of course he can.

“He is 24 years old and is a player who has been improving game by game. I don’t see why he can’t play at the next level.

“He is one of those strikers who scores a lot of goals but also works hard for the team. He makes the others play – if you notice everyone around him plays well. He is a good player.”

Zola also responded with “of course” when asked if he expects Deeney to stay with the Hornets.

When a reporter highlighted Deeney being out of contract in the summer, Zola continued: “I believe we are working on it; we want to keep him and I believe he wants to stay so we are working on getting him signed.”