Relaxed Watt happy to be part of Leeds United's promotion charge

The 19-year-old loanee from Arsenal impressed on his full debut as Leeds beat Milton Keynes Dons 4-1 to remain a point ahead of challengers Millwall.

Having slumped to defeat the previous week at relegation-threatened Gillingham, United could afford no further slip-ups on an afternoon that had the potential to be a nervy affair.

With that in mind, Watt's inclusion in the starting line-up for such a crucial game came as something of a surprise.

The teenager had other ideas, however, and is now hoping that a hugely encouraging display will be enough to retain his place for the weekend trip to Charlton Athletic.

He said: "I have played in front of a lot of fans before with

Arsenal and I have played in big games as well so I had that in my locker. I just had to make sure I did the business on the field.

"On your first start you want to have a good game and show people why you should be starting.

"There is no point begging for a chance and then not proving yourself. You have got to make your football do the talking and I hope I have earned another chance to prove myself.

"When I was growing up, I was always more nervous when there was no crowd around.

"There seemed to be more pressure on me. But when there is a crowd, it gives me more of an urge.

"Footballers are basically entertainers so at times like this you should be confident about showing what you can do.

"We do it every day (in training) so why not show it in games?"

Before joining Leeds, Watt's first-team experience was limited to a couple of appearances in the Carling Cup for Arsenal plus a month on loan at Southend United.

He arrived at Elland Road shortly before last month's transfer deadline hoping to add to that tally in a Leeds shirt.

Simon Grayson, however, had other ideas with the young winger being made to wait for his chance – so much so, in fact, that his three appearances from the bench before Saturday's visit of MK Dons amounted to just 20 minutes playing time.

Despite that, Watt said: "I love it here.

"Leeds are a good team, almost like a Premier League team.

"Everyone has shown me a lot of support and I have worked hard in training. It was nice to get my chance.

"I was happy with my performance (against MK Dons), though I actually think I should have scored.

"I missed one or two chances and I wasn't too pleased about that."

Watt, who like every Arsenal player out on loan is being closely monitored by Arsene Wenger's army of scouts, added: "It is a different type of football that we play here.

"We play the ball into the channels and that sort of thing. At Arsenal, I am used to having a lot of possession but here I am learning how to work off the ball, to get tight to players and to make myself stronger.

"I want to get as much experience as possible. I don't want to be someone who can only play with the ball at his feet. I need to learn how to play off the ball as well so this is a great experience for me."

On his ultimate aim to go back to the Emirates Stadium in the summer and force his way into Wenger's plans, he said: "Arsenal have a lot of scouts everywhere. They contact us before every game to find out whether we will be starting or on the bench.

"They want to know everything that is going on. They certainly don't forget about you when you are out on loan.

"When you are doing well, you know that the feedback is going to be good. What I want to do at Leeds is do well and give the boss (Wenger) another option for next season."