Watford midfielder Imran Louza has described his "immense sadness" after Morocco's elimination from the African Cup of Nations.

The 22-year-old played an important part for the Atlas Lions during the tournament, featuring in four of their five games, as they reached the quarter finals, where they were unable to get past Egypt.

He will now return to the Hornets where he will have to switch his focus to the relegation battle, with a crucial match away at Burnley coming up this weekend.

Reflecting on his involvement in his first major tournament, Louza apologised to his nation's supporters and thanked all involved in the Morocco camp.

In a post on Instagram he wrote: "Moroccan people, no words to define what I feel today. The sadness is immense after this elimination. We were all keen to go as far as possible in this competition, we are sorry. I know you may be disappointed, angry, frustrated, but I still wanted to thank you for your support and for believing in us.

"I'm 22 years old and it was my first big competition. I had wonderful times here, and I wanted to thank all my brothers, all the staff, the cooks, the cleaning ladies, for their hard work. We will have fought.

"The most important thing will be to get up stronger for the next upcoming deadlines. See you soon."