Watford academy defender Tom Leighton says he is eager to make an impact at a club he loves next season after agreeing his first professional deal.

Leighton put pen to paper on a senior contract with Watford last month after impressing with the club’s various junior sides.

Making the progression from academy to senior football is well known to be a difficult route to traverse, but Leighton is hopeful of doing just that at Watford or on loan in the 2018/19 campaign.

“I’ll work hard over the summer and hopefully hit the floor running so that I can do everything I can to be starting for the Under-23s and progressing as much as possible from there,” Leighton told the club website.

“From there, it is all about getting into the first team. If that doesn’t happen here, hopefully I can go on loan and get into a first team somewhere as soon as possible.

“That doesn’t come without working hard though, so I just want to work as hard as possible and hopefully when my chance comes I will take it.”

Leighton joined Watford from Scottish outfit Motherwell and also spent time training with Benfica.

A trial with the Hornets proved to be a rewarding experience for Leighton and he says the way in which Watford have supported him has seen him grow fond of the club.

“I came here on trial and the digs I stayed in were nice, all the boys were really welcoming and so were the staff. It kind of felt like I had already been here a few months,” he said.

“I literally walked in and felt at home straight away, so that’s why I decided to come here.

“That’s why I love the club so much to be honest, because they’ve helped me from day one. My mum’s helped me a lot to so I owe a lot of thanks to her.”

While the focus on development football is greater than ever before some supporters will still be none the wiser to the qualities Leighton brings to the game.

The Scottish centre-back has plenty of role models in the professional game and says working under Paul Hardyman and Hayden Mullins is helping him develop.

“I’d say I am a ball playing centre-back who likes being on the ball more than off it. My idol is Vincent Kompany. He’s a magnificent defender and hopefully one day I’ll get to meet him,” he said.

“The staff here have given me so many opportunities. I was playing for Paul with the Under-18s and it wasn’t until more recently that I’ve managed to get myself into the Under-23s.

“I played the second half in a game against Crewe and Hayden said he was pleasantly surprised, and since then I’ve played up an age group.

“I’d like to think I am doing well, but I just want to keep on doing well now.”