Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri says he would be happy to see Tom Cleverley extend his Vicarage Road stay beyond the end of the season.

The 27-year-old joined the Hornets on loan from Everton in January and has made an instant impact, helping Watford go unbeaten in his first four matches.

Mazzarri has been impressed with the manner in which Cleverley has assimilated to his new surroundings and would like to extend his stay.

He said: “First of all, I want to say that Tom Cleverley surprised me in a positive way in how well he managed to get in this environment.

“It seems like he has been playing for us since a long time. Of course it would make me very happy if he would stay here with us because he is not only a great player, but we need him as well.”

The Hornets boss’ comments came after Cleverley had himself confirmed his desire to make his move to Watford permanent.

“I am really enjoying my football here, I’m playing and we are getting some good results, so hopefully it can be for longer than that,” he told Sky Sports.

“At the minute I am just taking each game as it comes. Because of my versatility, I had to play out on the left and there were a couple of games that I didn’t play my best [at Everton].

“Like I say, I am enjoying it here and hopefully that can continue.”

With Watford having an option to buy Cleverley in the summer, a deal could well be struck with the Toffees to secure his services on a long-term deal.