Watford's Almen Abdi relishing Manchester United match

Watford midfielder Almen Abdi has admitted that he is relishing the challenge of facing Manchester United.

The 29-year-old joined the Hornets in 2012 before making his move permanent one season later while the club were in the Championship.

Abdi has said that preparing to face Louis van Gaal's men is a timely reminder of all the hard work put in by the club to secure their place in the top flight, and he and his teammates are determined to take advantage of their opportunity.

"We were looking forward to this kind of game last year, especially between November and February when it was really cold on a Tuesday night," Abdi told the club's official website.

"Now on a Tuesday night, we are at home watching the Champions League and looking forward to these big games on the weekend, and this is a result of the work of the last three years.

"Of course, they have more quality in the final third than most teams, but we also have lots of quality too."

The Hornets play United at Vicarage Road on Saturday.