Jonathan Hogg has excelled in recent matches after dropping into a deeper position due to John Eustace's injury but the summer signing insists he can maintain his improved form even if he is selected alongside the Watford captain.

Eustace missed the Peterborough clash three weeks ago with a back injury and Sean Dyche decided to employ Hogg in front of the back four with Prince Buaben at the tip of the midfield diamond.

It paid off as the Hornets secured back-to-back wins against Peterborough and Brighton, when Hogg was man-of-the-match.

"When John is not playing I try to fill that gap," Hogg said. "Playing in a deeper role, I can get on the ball a bit more, move it around the pitch and read the game a bit better than I can in the forward roles.

"I am picking bits up now and getting a lot more tackles in, so I am doing a good job for the team in that role."

Eustace has missed the Hornets’ last three matches with a back injury but he is expected to return at the weekend and Dyche will have a tough decision on his hands.

If he decides not change the formation, then does he drop either Hogg or Buaben, who have both impressed as a partnership, or does he leave out the man who has been one of the Hornets’ driving forces in recent seasons.

Watford seemed to struggle to create when Hogg and Eustace were playing alongside each other earlier in the season but the 22-year-old believes he can still play in a more advanced position.

When asked whether he considers himself as more of a defensive midfielder, Hogg replied: "I describe myself as box-to-box because I am a fit lad and whilst I like getting in and tackling, I also like getting on the ball too and moving it around. I try my best to do everything for the team."

Hogg, who had only played 12 first team games before a loan spell at Portsmouth last season, is what you would describe as your archetypal team player, with Sean Dyche claiming he “runs more than any player I have known and has a heart as big as a bucket.”

The 22-year-old is mature for his age and he welcomes competition in the squad, even if it means he may lose his place in the starting XI. "That is what good teams need,” Hogg said. “They need competition for places and the more competition, the better it will be for the team, so the best players are going to play on that day."

Hogg believes the Hornets’ improvements on the pitch in the last month is down to the hard work on the training ground, where he said his team-mates have been “brilliant.”

The former Darlington loanee also thinks the recent additions have helped, even if the likes of Michael Kightly and Craig Beattie have yet to make a real impact.

He said: “We have tried a few different things and I think the boys have worked really hard in the shape that we are trying.

“Obviously with the new players coming in and the change of personnel, I think that might have freshened the team up a bit. I think we have been good of late and I hope we can keep carrying it on."