Mooy has put in a string of impressive displays in the heart of Albion’s midfield, and Ryan highlighted the character which his Socceroos' teammate showed following the disappointment of his sending off against Aston Villa.
He said, “There have been a number of stand-out games from him, and there is no doubt in my mind that he has added quite a bit to the team.
“The head coach and club knew what they would be getting from what he has shown already at this level. Being closer to him now, I’ve seen the journey he has made so far this season, and there have been a couple of times when he’s been frustrated at not playing.
“The biggest frustration for him is when he got back from the international break and got a red card, where he really felt he let the team down. He was really sentimental about that. He never wants to let anyone down, let alone himself.
“That got to him quite a bit, but I said to him that he has to learn from it. I noticed he was a bit frustrated with what happened. He was wondering when his next opportunity would come, but I’m happy for him and for us as a team. He’s got some regular minutes under his belt now, and you really notice his contribution to the club and the way we want to play.”
Mooy and Ryan have both been part of a free-flowing style of attacking football under Potter, and the Seagulls shot-stopper explained how his time in Australia, Spain and Belgium helped him adapt to the fresh approach that has been adopted by the Albion head coach.
“Going back to my time at Valencia, when I was in Bruges and back in Australia, I’ve had coaches that wanted to play this modern style of playing out from the back.
“For someone of my size and stature, and after playing as a striker until the age of 11 or 12 years old, it shaped me into the goalkeeper I am today.
“My first goalkeeping coach was influenced by the South America style of goalkeeping, where the goalkeepers are generally smaller, more agile and good with their feet.
“Before I arrived at Valencia and then here at Brighton, I very much saw myself as a sweeper type of keeper. When Graham came in, his philosophy was more about playing out from the back and taking risks.
“As a player, it’s really enjoyable to play in his style. It’s been refreshing and all my previous experiences have helped me get to where I am today.”
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Ryan recently captained Australia in their two World Cup qualifiers against Taiwan and Jordan, and he spoke about the prospect of becoming the next permanent skipper for his country, as well as becoming another leader on the pitch for his club.
“I’m over the moon to represent my country and whether I’m captain or not, I’ll do my best to contribute and help our national team to be successful as possible
“In my learning of the game, I’ll leave no stone unturned in trying to win games and be successful. If I think I can add something by communicating, then I’ll go ahead and do so. I like to think I’m open minded and voice my opinions in a way knowing that I can be wrong as well, and will listen to others. If I feel I can say something that will help, then I will voice my opinion. I’ll stop at nothing to win games.”