Watford academy player Andi Janjeva has spoken of his pride after receiving a call up to represent Kosovo.

The defender will be part of the Under 21s squad to face Slovenia in European qualifier matches on March 25 and March 29.

He told the club website it is something he has always dreamt of doing.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to represent Kosovo since I was young,” said Janjeva. “Where I’m from is something that I take a lot of pride in. I think it’s a big achievement and hopefully, this is the start of my progression into the first team because that’s the ultimate dream.

“I was delighted to receive the news especially because it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been with them, so to be called back into the squad is a great feeling. It shows that I’m being looked at and they value me quite highly.”

Janjeva sees the call up as an opportunity to develop away from the confines of domestic football and is looking forward to the chance to play against some big name players, if they manage to qualify.

“For my development it’s very good because this is the European Championships,” he continued.

“It’s a big tournament, and hopefully if we manage to qualify that would be a very big achievement, not just for myself, but for the whole country because you get a chance to play some big names from big countries.

“Both matches against Slovenia are going to be tough, but I think we have loads of talent in our team so I think we will do really well.”