Jeremy Ngakia is hoping to make the most of his opportunity at Watford following his move from West Ham United in the summer.

The full-back could have stayed with the Hammers but rejected a new contract and chose to join the Hornets instead.

He said he felt Vicarage Road was the best place for him to kick start his career.

“I just thought that at this moment in my career, the most important thing for me to develop and to kick start my career, is to play games,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to honestly get games at West Ham.

“It didn’t feel guaranteed and then Watford came in for me and it sounded very good, so it was a great opportunity for me and I had to take it.

“You’ve got to be brave, 100 per cent and you’ve got to do what’s best for you.”

Following an opening day victory over Middlesbrough, Ngakia believes the squad have what it takes to achieve their goal of promotion back to the top flight.

Playing alongside experienced players like Craig Cathcart, Craig Dawson and Christian Kabasele, Ngakia feels he has already learnt a lot with his new teammates.

“It was a good win, all the boys put in maximum effort to get this win,” he said. “We’ve been working hard during pre-season, so it was good to get the win and everyone’s confident.

“The squad’s got good confidence, it’s an honest squad. I’m learning a lot, every day in training - literally every day I’m learning something new from them because obviously I’m a young player, I’ve still got a lot to learn and this is what I want. I want players around that I can learn from and it’s great.

“You’ve got to have the mindset to want to improve.”