Potter is throwing in the Tau

PERCY TAU has waited two and a half years after signing for Brighton to play his first league game for the club.

Now manager Graham Potter has pleaded for fans to show the same patience with him as he did to get started.

The pacey forward, 26, is set to make his first Premier League start for Brighton as they face Manchester City at the Etihad tonight, after coming on as a substitute in the FA Cup win at Newport on Sunday.

Albion signed the South Africa international ( below) from Mamelodi Sundowns in a £ 2.8million deal in July 2018.

But because they could not get a work permit for him, they had to farm him out to three Belgian sides — Union SG, Bruges, and finally Anderlecht last summer — before changes to the rules following Brexit enabled him to get his permit.

His debut at Newport came 905 days after he had officially signed.

Potter said: “It says a lot about Percy. He was determined to come here. He made the most of his experiences in Belgium.

“He used that in a positive way to improve his situation, his footballing career and experiences. He’s not wasted his time.

“Percy brings us something different. He’s got a good footballing brain. He’s not just a striker, he’s a wide player, an attacking midfield player.

“Fans shouldn’t expect too much too soon. You have got to be fair to Percy. He has moved to a new country, a new club. He has got the right mentality.”

Albion have injury problems for tonight’s clash, with Danny

Welbeck, Adam Lallana, Tariq Lamptey, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Aaron Connolly all out.

The club’s £ 4.5m bid for Independiente’s Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo is now in the balance, with Newcastle United entering the bidding and prepared to offer better terms.