ON THE BRIGHT TRACK
Neal finally Haz world at his feet
BRIGHTON striker Neal Maupay admits he struggled to cope with being a 16-year-old wonderkid in France – but insists he is ready for Premier League stardom.
The £20m signing from Brentford was compared to Eden Hazard when he burst on to the scene at boyhood club Nice.
But four years after making his debut, aged just 16 years and 32 days, he had to resort to ringing clubs to tell them he was available.
Thankfully for the Frenchman, the Bees had already spotted him – and after 41 goals in two Championship seasons, Maupay, 22, is finally back in the big time.
“I started my career young and it’s true that I had some struggles,” said Maupay.
“A lot of people were saying the last person who started as young as Neal was Eden Hazard and there was a lot of attention.
“People in the street were coming around me and saying, ‘You are the new star.’ I wasn’t good with it. I just wanted to be a normal player. I knew it was kind of crazy to play at 16 and score goals.
“But I’m not the kind of guy to get excited about it. I was living with my family and it was just normal. But then I realised that all the pressure was on me.
“There were a lot of expectations and I don’t think the club managed that pressure on me very well.”
He struggled after a serious knee ligament injury, adding: “The manager at Nice had some problems with me. He was saying to everyone that Neal was not playing because of injuries and he’s not ready with his knee. But that wasn’t the truth.
“In the end I was ringing clubs to ask them to take me. I had a few clubs in France but they didn’t really want me to play.”
Thankfully, however, Brentford were ready to offer the forward an escape route.
“They were the only ones and they helped me a lot,” he added.
“To join was the best decision of my career. I needed to be in a club that trusted me and put me on the pitch.
“I scored a lot of goals at Brentford and improved a lot. So, Brighton is perfect for me.”