Jose Holebas hopes to help Watford achieve European football after pledging his future to the Vicarage Road club.

The left-back put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension, which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2020, on Monday.

At 33, the former Greek international is in the winter of a career which has also seen him play in Germany, Italy and his homeland.

He believes the ambition of achieving European football with Watford is an attainable one in the next two years, especially if the Hornets can rediscover their fine early season form.

“To get a place in Europe would be great,” he told the club website. “In the beginning [of the season] we showed we can do it, but the difficult part is to keep that level up.

“We have young players and experienced players, but to get the right mix you need a little bit of time. Of course, the coach understands this as well.

“We will see where we are going, but, for me, it would be great to see Watford in the top seven in the table.”

Watford have shown an ability to match the league’s tip sides this term, picking up a win over Arsenal and holding Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to draws.

Holebas argues these performances are an indication of the forward direction in which the club is moving and are a part of the reason he has opted extend his stay.

“We have shown that we are not just trying to stay in the Premier League, have shown that we can do much better,” he said.

“If we want to, and everyone is focused on themselves and focused as a team, we can beat the bigger teams.”

Having initially struggled to make an impact in Hertfordshire after joining the Hornets from Roma in 2015, Holebas found his form in his second season with the Hornets.

He now feels settled at the club and says his family being happy in England was an important factor when deciding to sign a new deal.

“It was an easy decision. I am here for three years now, so I chose to stay here if the club wanted me to,” he said.

“The most important thing for me is that my family is going to stay here. My sister came over as well and that is two big reasons for me to continue in England.”