Watford defender Craig Cathcart could not hide his delight to put pen to paper on a new deal which will commit his future to the club until 2021.

While a difficult season for the Northern Ireland international last year may have drawn queries over how much of a role he would play under new boss Marco Silva, signing the new four-year contract at Vicarage Road this morning has quickly put paid to any doubts over his future.

Cathcart, aged 28, made 34 starts in the Premier League for the Hornets in 2015/16 and will be hopeful of a campaign more akin to their first back in the top flight next season.

He told watfordfc.com: “Since I came to the club things have been on an upward curve for me, and I want to continue that and help the club move in the right direction.

“The training ground is getting better, the stadium is looking fantastic and the squad we’ve built is great. It’s exciting times for the club and I want to have as much success as possible here."

Cathcart admitted he was not intimately familiar with Silva's time at Hull City, the Portuguese head coach's former club, but was eager to get going under the 39-year-old's regime.

He said: "Looking at it from the outside, it looked like he [Silva] did a great job at Hull. They had a quick turnaround and won quite a few games.

“It's exciting though and now I’m looking forward to getting back in for pre-season and working hard together.”