Graham Potter says he couldn’t have asked for more from Dan Burn as the defender and his team-mates get ready to resume the season.
The 28-year-old, who signed a new deal in January until at least 2023, started all 21 Premier League games before suffering a broken collarbone against Chelsea at the Amex on New Year’s Day.
He returned in the 1-1 draw against Watford on 8th February and played in Albion’s subsequent three fixtures before the season was suspended.
Potter said, “Looking at his career and his game time last season you do get a feeling for a player from a distance.
“But then when you get to work with them you get to understand them more. He’s a very versatile player who’s got good technique, especially when you consider the stereotype of the attributes of a taller player.
“He’s proficient and physically he’s very strong. His attitude and character are great as well. He’s been really good to work with and he does his best every day and as a coach that’s all you can ask.
“Part of his great strength is his versatility. He can play at full-back, centre back, as a left-sided central defender in a three – those are his best areas.”
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The Seagulls will return to action for the first time when Arsenal visit the Amex Stadium this Saturday, and the Albion boss discussed how he and his staff adjusted to life without football during the first few weeks of lockdown.
“At the start of the lockdown it didn’t feel like it was the right thing to talk about football,” he added. “There were serious things going on in society that put things into perspective.
“We all hoped we’d get to the other side and that whenever people deemed it safe for us to play we wanted to be ready and we’re excited to start doing that again.
“Rather than second guess and waste energy thinking about what may or may not happen, we wanted to keep level-headed and try and live in the moment as best we could.
“Thankfully now we’re coming out of the situation and society is moving again.”