Graham Potter stressed that Brighton full back Tariq Lamptey needs space to develop his game amid the media hype around his form but praised the teenager for taking the attention in his stride.
The 19-year-old has been one of the breakout stars of the Premier League season and continued his fine start to the campaign with another impressive performance during the Seagulls’ 3-2 defeat to Manchester United.
Lamptey, who joined Brighton in a £3m deal from Chelsea in January, has made the right wing-back role his own in Potter’s 3-4-3 system and won his second penalty of the season on Saturday.
Speaking to i last week, Lamptey insisted “I’m not someone that’s going to be fazed by anything,” and while Potter praised the youngster’s temperament he warned that the “noise” around him could be counter-productive.
“I don’t think [the media coverage] affected him but it’s something I need to think about,” he said. “There was a camera in front of him for god knows how long before the game.
“We need to understand that he’s a young player and we need to let him enjoy his football and develop and allow some space for that to happen but at the same time we need to understand he’s an exciting player, an exciting prospect and people want to know him and talk about him.
“It’s a fine balance but he’s so level headed, he’s such a fantastic character. He doesn’t get too worried about the external noise around him he carries on in the game and wants to help the team.
“It’s part of the noise of the Premier League, it’s part of the show but at the same time we have to understand where he’s at as a young man, a young boy learning his game at the highest level. We need to support him and make sure he’s able to enjoy his football.”
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3mXUGNu
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