Defender Ryan Andrews has signed a new long-term contract with Watford until the summer of 2028.

The 19-year-old England Under-20 international only broke into the senior team on a regular basis towards the end of last season when the then head coach Chris Wilder gave him his debut in the 2-2 draw at Coventry City.

He had made first-team debut at Reading in the FA Cup earlier in the campaign.

He went on to make six Championship appearances in total, and quickly fans were quickly singing ‘he’s one of our own’ to the defender and son of former Hornets striker Wayne Andrews.

Andrews started this season in the team under new head coach Valerien Ismael, but he was then ruled out after picking up the first red card of his senior career for a late foul in the 2-0 defeat at Sunderland in October.

That straight red earned him a three-game ban which was then extended to four games after the FA found him guilty of misconduct as he left the field at the Stadium of Light.

Restored to the starting XI for the last game before the international break, Andrews was part of the defence that kept a clean sheet in the 5-0 win over Rotherham at Vicarage Road.

Earlier this season Andrews netted the first senior goal of his career, when his stoppage-time effort from just outside the box was deflected past keeper John Ruddy as Watford beat Birmingham 2-0 at Vicarage Road in September.

Born in Watford and a product of the club’s Academy, Andrews worked his way through the age groups and was a regular for both the Under-18 and Under-21 teams before reaching the senior ranks.

He signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2022, and now has four England Under-20 caps to his credit, the most recent coming in a 3-2 Elite League win over Germany in Regensberg on Monday.