No bids expected for Watford's Maamma

Watford assistant sporting director Valon Behrami does not expect any bids in January for 'wonderkid' forward Othmane Maamma.

He has made a big impact at Vicarage Road, scoring twice in nine appearances, since helping Morocco win the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in October.

"We are not used to selling in the January transfer market unless they come with something crazy, a different kind of valuation," Behrami told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"A player like Maamma - now comes the difficult part because the expectations are higher game by game. That's something we need to pay attention to, especially on a young talent like this.

"The only priority is to keep him growing and doing the right things because when the expectations are higher, the pressure is higher. It's an exciting moment for him and we are here to support him through this process."

Behrami said the 20-year-old's talent had never been in doubt, which is why they signed him from Montpellier in the summer.

"We didn't get to see him so much [at the start] because he had some injury problem when he arrived here," Behrami added.

"He's a perfect example of hard work pays off. I remember two months, he was working every day double session.

"We saw his quality, of course, but his growth was so fast when he arrived (back) here after the World Cup. What surprised me wasn't the quality, but how fast he did this process."