'He works in the shadows' – Fabian Hurzeler sheds light on his £25m secret weapon for Man United

Brighton’s summer spend of more than £150m has brought plenty of attention – but one signing may have slipped under the radar.

Mats Wieffer was not as celebrated as the £30m capture of Yankuba Minteh or the £40m arrival Georginio Rutter but the £25m Dutch international midfielder could prove equally as important.

Wieffer, 24, made his Premier League debut for Fabian Hurzeler’s team in their impressive 3-0 win at Everton during their first match of the season. The former Feyenoord man played in a deep midfield position alongside the experienced James Milner – and the duo could be set to resume that partnership this Saturday against Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.

It was not a perfect performance from Wieffer, as mistakes were made in possession, but there was also plenty to suggest he will be another shrewd addition. The Seagulls were short in midfield last term following the exits of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister. Pascal Gross also left earlier this window, while Billy Gilmour continues to be linked with a move to Napoli and Poland international Jakub Moder also looks set to depart.

Hurzeler gave an honest assessment of his new midfielder following his display at Goodison Park. “On the one side, I look at his body language and his attitude and how he behaves,” said the German head coach.

"He did not have the best start to the game. He made some easy mistakes in possession but when we look at his reaction, that was outstanding. He never hides from the ball. Even when he made a mistake, he was asking for the ball. That is something I ask from my players. He will make mistakes in every game, 20 or 30 mistakes. Of course you should not repeat mistakes, then for me it is different how players react.

"Some hide and some are like, ok I can't change but okay and that is exactly what Mats did. For me, in his first PL game that is outstanding. In his position if you are hiding, then you have problems, because he is very important in our build up. He was demanding the ball and when you look at our goals, he made the first passes and created. These are very positive things.”

One of the constant messages from Hurzeler is the work he expects from his players off the ball and that’s where he feels Wieffer will be a major asset for the way he wants his team to play.

“The other thing is how he works against the ball. He ran a lot, the most on the pitch. Closing down and pressing. He's not a player that always wants to shine but he does the work in the shadows. It is very important for the togetherness of the group. He knows he can improve in possession, like the whole team. But the character and attitude for this game was outstanding.”