Watford striker Andre Gray believes the club can hold onto their star players, including Abdoulaye Doucoure and Roberto Pereyra.

After a disappointing 6-0 loss in the FA Cup final to Manchester City, Watford are planning for next season.

The club will not being Europe, but they want to push up the Premier League table.

And Gray believes they can hold onto Doucoure and Pereyra, two of their key players.

The 27-year-old told the Evening Standard: "We need to stick with the core of the squad.

"Obviously, we are going to add players and probably lose players. But I just think it is important to keep the core.

"We have got the spirit there now. It is important to keep that and push ourselves on from this season.

"The gaffer said it: sometimes you have got to lose to win. That is how we need to take it now and try to come back next year a lot stronger."