Matej Vydra will remain at Watford next season on a new two-year loan deal from Udinese, the Watford Observer understands.

The 23-year-old striker scored 16 times last term as the Hornets were promoted back to the Premier League for the first time since 2007.

It was Vydra’s second spell at Vicarage Road, with an unsuccessful season at West Bromwich Albion sandwiched between his two stays in WD18, after initially joining from Udinese in 2012.

Vydra was brought to England as part of the first influx from Udinese and Granada following the Pozzo family’s takeover and struck 22 goals as the Golden Boys missed out on promotion in the Play-Off Final at Wembley in his first stint at the club.

However, he opted for pastures new that summer – despite the Hornets’ desire to bring him back to Vicarage Road – and after inking a new five-year deal with the Little Zebras, joined top-flight Albion on a season-long loan deal.

Often farmed out wide, the Czech international registered three league goals from just seven starts but found himself used more frequently from the substitute’s bench by Steve Clarke and Pepe Mel.

Despite starting the 2014/15 campaign as the first-choice partner to captain Troy Deeney after returning to Vicarage Road on “an initial” season-long loan, Vydra played second fiddle the skipper and summer signing Odion Ighalo at times.

And after being told to work harder for the team by head coach Slavisa Jokanovic, Vydra enjoyed a renaissance in the second half of the campaign and netted eight times in his final 12 outings to help Watford over the line at the third time of asking.

Speaking in January, Jokanovic said: “It is a striker’s job to score goals but they also have to work for the team.

“This is not about Matej or Troy, it is expected of everyone. The centre-backs and midfielders must also support us with goals and the strikers must help us to defend. This is the only way in football that I know.”

He continued: “Strikers always worry about goals but I worry about them working. If you are working then your goals will arrive.

“It is a question of trying to change the mindset a little bit. If you are part of a team and work hard then your quality will show.”