POTTER: MOISES CAN BE NEXT BIG NOISE
MOISES CAICEDO has the chance to
prove he will be the next big-money star off the Brighton taxi rank when he lines up opposite Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford today.
Albion have sold almost £150million of talent over the last year, with Ben White going to Arsenal, Yves Bissouma to Tottenham and now Marc Cucurella to Chelsea.
But they will not be short of quality when they face Manchester United.
Tariq Lamptey and Enock Mwepu, whose careers have been impacted by injuries, are ready to step up another gear this season and
Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo (left), 25, is the one many people expect to shine most brightly.
He scored with a stunning 25-yard strike when the Seagulls thrashed United 4-0 at the Amex at the end of last season and is tipped to help fill the Bissouma gap for Brighton.
Boss Graham Potter said: “We’ve been really impressed with Moises. It’s not easy to come from another continent and play in the Premier League.
“We had competition in that area when he first arrived, so he went on loan. But since he came back, he has done really well.
“We know the quality he has. It is just about having the right development – and then it’s up to him. He’s got the chance and the quality and the character, so, we’re looking forward to it.”
Replacing the all-action style of box-to-box man Bissouma will not be easy, but Potter insists he does not want an exact replica anyway. He said “I don’t think it is one player that replaces Yves because that wouldn’t be fair. Yves is Yves, we’ll miss him and wish him well.
“But we have to find a different solution. It’s not about just plonking one player in and finding ‘Yves Bissouma Mark 2’. It is about looking at the lads we’ve got to fill the gap, and they’ve got to do it in their own way.”
Potter takes the same view when it comes to replacing Cucurella, following his £63m switch to Chelsea. He said: “When you lose a player of the value of Marc, it is not easy to directly replace that player. You have to look at a different way of collectively adjusting the team.
“We have possibilities if we need to, but we’re quite calm and have faith in the guys here.”
For Caicedo, a trip to Old Trafford could be the perfect barometer to see how far he’s come – given that he’ll be facing Denmark hero Eriksen (left) in the middle of the pitch.
“Eriksen is a great player to have in the Premier League and I’m sure he’ll do well for United,” added Potter. “I hope we can delay his good start for a week, but he’s a top player.”