Ikechi Anya's career has already reached levels he could only have dreamed of eight years ago when he was playing non-league football but the winger wants more.

“I’m only 27 and I don’t want my highlight to be vying for a place in the Premier League and almost qualifying for the European Championships [with Scotland],” Anya stated.

“I want to go past that; I want to be in the Premier League and regular European competitions and World Cup competitions.

“I don’t limit myself; I try as hard as I can and if nothing comes of it then nothing comes of it. But I think you can look at yourself in the mirror when you have tried as hard as you can because if you then fail then it is not meant to be.”

Anya has an attitude managers dream of. He is always upbeat, works tirelessly for the team and is always seeking to improve.

He is appreciative of the position he finds himself in. After all, things could so easily have been different.

When Tony Adams made him the youngest player to pull on a Wycombe Wanderers shirt in 2004 he seemed destined for big things. But injuries and a perceived mental weakness resulted in him being released three years later by Paul Lambert and he dropped out of the professional game.

It was to be another former Chairboys manager, John Gorman, who handed Anya a lifeline by getting him a trial at the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain and, as they say, the rest is history.

He moved over to Spain as part of the development programme and played for Sevilla and Celta Vigo’s reserve sides before earning a move to Granada in 2011.

Granada’s owners, the Pozzo family, subsequently bought Watford in 2012 and Anya returned to the Home Counties as one of many players to join from the Pozzos’ other clubs.

His form resulted in a truly remarkable turnaround. In the space of five years Anya went from playing non-league football with Halesowen Town to making his Scotland debut. His stock rose even further a year later when he scored a memorable goal to give world champions Germany a fright during Scotland’s agonising 2-1 defeat.

Now Anya is on the brink of securing promotion to the most high-profile league in the world with Watford, who are only outside the Championship’s automatic promotion places on goal difference.

Being released by Wycombe was a crushing blow for the then 19-year-old but in hindsight he believes it has benefited him in the long run.

Anya explained: “Paul Lambert said it wasn’t really a thing about ability, he just thought I wasn’t mentally strong enough at that time and he said sometimes you need to take a step backwards to go two steps forward. It seems that maybe he was right because without being released from Wycombe then you never know what might have happened.

“I will always be grateful to Wycombe for the opportunity they gave me when I was so young.”

Anya is not your average footballer. The son of a Nigerian doctor of science and Romanian economist mother, the 27-year-old bucked the trend by opting for football instead of being an academic like his parents and brother, who is also a doctor who also raps.

He admits he is happier in £10 jeans from Sainsbury’s than he is in the likes of Gucci like many footballers and has an infectious personality. After dropping out of the game, he looks at everything that is happening in his career as a bonus.

He said: “No I couldn’t [have dreamt things would go so well], this is why I am the way I am. Everything I am experiencing now is a bonus.”

Watford Observer:

Anya recalls with a smile on his face the first time a potential move to Watford was mooted.

“When I was at Granada I remember my friend, who is a big Watford fan, saying ‘your owner has just bought Watford, see if you can come to play for my team’. I told him it wasn’t that easy but it happened. From that point everything that has happened has been a bonus.

“When we almost got promoted in that first season it was incredible. It didn’t happen the same way in the second season but it was ok for me personally because I played for Scotland. And this season has been amazing and if we can get promoted it would be the best feeling ever.”

Anya reiterated the target this season was always securing Premier League football and highlighted that it was owner Gino Pozzo’s target to secure promotion within three years.

The Glasgow-born wide-man worked with Pozzo at Spanish club Granada as well as Watford and was full of praise for the Italian.

“Mr Pozzo has done wonders for Watford,” he said. “The club were close to administration but he has come here and invested heavily in the project. He is here on a daily basis and you can see all around you what he has provided us.

“He has given us everything we need to succeed and it is up to us to provide that success. So even through the managerial changes [earlier this season], with him being such a focal figure, we had a continuity about us.

“Like I said before, even when the manager changed we still had good results. So we still had that base we needed. He has been brilliant for the club.”

Anya also praised his head coach Slavisa Jokanovic.

He recognised the ex-Chelsea midfielder’s three title wins in Serbia and Thailand before saying: “When he came in he told us there isn’t room for individuals. He is very driven by a team ethic. That has shown through the season and we do look more of a team than a group of individuals [now]. So that is the main attribute the gaffer has brought to us.”

He continued: “We are a tight-knit group and I think the current gaffer has added an extra dimension for us to gel even more.

“In the past three months we have had good momentum and have won a lot of games.”

He was asked how Jokanovic compared to his previous managers like Lambert, and added: “He (Jokanovic) is big on his tactics; that is why we are able to play four at the back or five at the back at different times. He analyses the other team, works out their weaknesses and we then try to exploit that to our full advantage.”

Jokanovic and Anya share the same view when it comes to the key to success; hard work.

He said: “I think it is about having a mixture of being lucky and hard work.

“That is what it boils down to; wanting to learn from people who have a lot of experience who can impart their wisdom and being a bit lucky, which you earn through hard work.”

Anya’s hard work and improved mental toughness has seen him go from a non-league player to a regular Scotland international. Now he is hoping it will help him become a Premier League footballer.