Billy Gilmour and Roberto De Zerbi agree over ‘incredible’ Brighton star

The Brazilian swapped Watford for Albion this summer in a £30 million move and since then he has scored 11 goals and bagged one assist in 23 matches.

His most recent goal fired the Seagulls into the last 16 of the Europa League with his side's 1-0 win over Marseille on Thursday at the Amex.

That, and more, led teammate Gilmour to heap praise on the versatile forward – who is the Europa League’s top scorer this season with six goals in as many games.

“As soon as we got the goal it was a great feeling of relief because we kept pushing and pushing,” he said.

"It just didn’t seem to come but we knew that if we kept going the way we were going, it was going to happen. Joao Pedro is on fire, especially in the Europa League. Joao getting the goal was amazing.

“He’s been top in this competition and sometimes he has dug us out of a hole, he’s a top goalscorer, a great player for us and let’s hope he can add more. It was really loud tonight, I loved it. A great atmosphere and a great result.”

Despite being Brighton's top scorer this season by some margin, with Evan Ferguson in second with six goals of his own, Pedro has had to be patient at times.

He has made just 12 starts in those 23 games but head coach De Zerbi believes he is on track to become a special talent.

"Joao [Pedro] is playing well and is becoming a great player, in terms of mentality first of all. I think his national team has helped him to progress and become better because his qualities are clear. We want to help him to become a great player because his qualities are incredible," said the Italian.