Hornets midfielder Lewis McGugan admits he is open to a permanent move to loan club Sheffield Wednesday and says the Owls have helped put a smile back on his face. 

The 26-year-old has spent almost four months of the current campaign on loan at Hillsborough after falling out of favour at Watford.

McGugan initially joined the Stuart Gray’s side on a short-term loan in November and that expired at the start of January.

On his return to Watford, McGugan was told he could leave the club and Hornets head coach Slavisa Jokanovic stopped the former England youth international, in addition to three other players, training with the first team.

However, a permanent move away didn’t materialise during the winter transfer window and, at the start of February, McGugan rejoined Wednesday on loan until the end of the season.

He has since made 11 appearances for Gray’s side and has scored three times.

And with McGugan’s time at Watford likely to end this summer he says he is interested in a permanent move to Wednesday.

“If Sheffield Wednesday and Watford can do a deal, then brilliant, but it’s up to the clubs. I can only concentrate on playing well on the pitch,” McGugan told the Daily Mail.

“At this point in time I’m playing week in week out, I have a smile back on my face, and that’s the most important thing.

“The manager has been fantastic for me, really straight. You know exactly what he wants from you. He gives you the platform to go out and perform and it’s up to you to repay the faith.”

McGugan joined Watford on a free transfer in the summer of 2013 after leaving Nottingham Forest.

He admits the allure of working with previous Hornets boss Gianfranco Zola influenced his decision to switch to Vicarage Road and he made 37 appearances for the Golden Boys last season.

However, his first-team chances became increasing limited during the current campaign and he played just seven times for the Golden Boys before heading to Wednesday in November.

“I could have easily sat there [at Watford] and seen what happened but you know when you’re not really in someone’s plans and I want to play football,” he added.

“Knowing this manager (Stuart Gray) has 100 per cent faith in me to go out and perform can only build confidence. Hopefully I can have a strong end to the season and see what happens.”