Brighton & Hove Albion defender Bruno insists that manager Chris Hughton’s ability to help the club’s new arrivals settle into life on the south coast is vital for the team ahead of the new season.
The Seagulls kick off their 2018/19 Premier League campaign against Watford at Vicarage Road tomorrow afternoon, and the full-back reflected on the ability of the manager to help the new recruits become accustomed to their new surroundings.
He said, “He’s a clever manager and he knows how to deal with every situation and how to manage 25 players – that’s not easy because everyone wants to play, but he knows how to deal with that.
“We lost some key players over the summer – perhaps they didn’t play as much but they were really important for us around the changing room.
“Now we have eight new players and they’ve settled really well into the group and they have to get used to his ideas and the Premier League level, but I think they’re all ready for that.”
The Seagulls finished 15th during their debut season in the Premier League last term as a 1-0 win over Manchester United sealed survival with two games left to spare, and Bruno pointed to Hughton’s experience of the division as being key in the achievement.
“He had a big influence on our survival last year, because he has good experience in the division and knew what to expect.
“We knew what we were going to face and that was because he’d been in that position before.
“It helped us as players to feel much calmer when we were setting up for matches.”
The side went away to Austria for a pre-season training camp last month, where the players had three sessions a day ahead of the new season – the Spaniard reflected positively on the close season and the manager’s demands on the side as a whole.
“It’s tough because he demands a lot from the players and he keeps the side well disciplined.
“But as a group we enjoy it a lot because he also gives us a freedom to go out and enjoy our game too.
“For me it’s been a pleasure to play for him.”