Brighton manager Graham Potter is determined to help Tariq Lamptey demonstrate the teenager got it right when he made the tough decision to turn his back on Chelsea and switch to the Amex Stadium in January.
Lamptey, 19, who joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of seven, moved to the south-coast club in search of more first-team chances after making just one substitute appearance in the Premier League for the Blues.
After impressing in his first top-flight start in Saturday’s goalless draw with Leicester City, the right-back is expected to retain his place for Tuesday’s visit of Manchester United, and Potter is confident the player will show he took the right career path when he signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Albion.
“Everyone is the same, everyone wants to play and find an environment that fits them and I’m sure it was a difficult decision for Tariq, he has a lot of feeling and a lot of respect for Chelsea,” said the manager, who confirmed Lamptey has recovered from the facial injury he sustained against Leicester.
“But, like anything, you have to make decisions as your career goes on and we are happy he is here with us and we will try our best to help him maximise his career.”
‘Humble Lamptey a delight to work with’
Potter insists he has been impressed by what he has seen so far. “He’s been great, he’s only young so you have to give him time to land, settle into the new environment, a new club, team and teammates because he had been at Chelsea a long time,” he added. “He is such a fantastic kid, really humble, wants to work for the team, help the team and plays with that bit of sacrifice which I like.
“He has been a joy to work with and you saw his qualities, we see them everyday but it is another thing to make the step into the Premier League especially the position that we are in we have to make sure it is the right thing for the team and the player himself and I am delighted he contributed.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United side will attempt to register their first win at the Amex Stadium while Brighton will attempt to extend their post-lockdown form that has brought four points from two games and widened the gap between themselves and the relegation places to six points.
Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Chelsea) is the first teenager to feature in a #PL match for two different clubs in the same season since Harry Kane (2012/13 – Spurs & Norwich)#LEIBHA pic.twitter.com/4WljYpaQiV
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 23, 2020
Potter admits results following the return to action has strengthened his side’s belief. “I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t, but I would also say that it wasn’t necessarily doom and gloom before,” he said. “In the Premier League, we drew away at Wolves before lockdown, 0-0 is a good result, especially how we played, we played quite well and we weren’t lucky to get a point because we competed against a very, very good team.
“We’ve only lost three games this year but hadn’t won and the story is easier to say that you haven’t won in 2020. But still we were aware of the fact, it was nice to win to get that point off your back if you like.
“And like anything, if you’re winning football matches then things become a little bit easier. But at the same time, we know we need to carry on, we need to keep fighting, we’re not out of the situation, we’re not out of trouble.”
More on the Premier League
- Back on their perch? How Liverpool pulled level with Man Utd on major trophies won
- Kevin Garside: Man City’s attention should now turn to Europe… with hope of becoming Liverpool 2019
- Lampard defends role as Chelsea boss after Sterling criticism
- From world-beater at Liverpool to a failure at Barça, Newcastle may be Coutinho’s only hope
- Exclusive: Heskey talks Sterling, racism and doing an internship at 42
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2Vw9zue
Post a Comment