Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley is eager to show new boss Nigel Pearson what he can do.

Cleverley has missed much of what has been a tumultuous season for the Hornets.

But as they start to gain form under Pearson, Cleverley wants to prove his worth in the heart of the team during the rest of the season.

"It's brilliant to be back," Cleverley told Watford's website after playing 45 minutes during an under-23s game.

"It was the same sort of rehab process as last time when I played 45 minutes for the 23s.

"It's important to get that spatial awareness and that match competitiveness even though it's not in the first team.

"There is nothing like being part of a match situation where you can put in your tackles, put your passes in and put 100 per cent on everything. I'm really pleased.

"I'm not the best watcher and there have been a few of us at the back there all twitching and getting up and down off our seats.

"But it's a much more positive side to come back into it. As the head coach keeps saying, we've just got to focus on ourselves and, as long we do our jobs, we can hold our heads high.

"We are where we are for a reason and it's not a time to start looking at our squad on paper. It's time to get out there and put in performances."