Watford have confirmed that Ben Wilmot will spend the remainder of this season on loan with fellow Pozzo-owned club Udinese.

The move will come as a surprise in some quarters, given the England Under-20 international came on as a substitute in last night's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur and started Saturday's FA Cup fourth round success at Newcastle United.

But the move seems designed to give the talented 19-year-old more game time and will broaden his football experiences, with the different challenges playing in the Italian top-flight will bring.

Speaking after last night's defeat, Javi Gracia praised Wilmot's maturity after making just a second Premier League appearance on the Wembley Stadium stage.

The Hornets head coach said: “Ben always plays well like a mature player. He’s only 19 years old and I think he can play in different positions.

"In that moment with Tom (Cleverley) a little bit tired because the first half was very demanding, we wanted to be stronger in the middle, in lateral crosses, defending set pieces with more centimetres and it was a good option.

"It was the moment when the game was very demanding, very difficult but I think he’s a very good player.”

Wilmot has made a total of six first-team appearances to date, having move from Stevenage in the summer.