Brajan Gruda was in sparkling form for Brighton against Liverpool.
The 20-year-old has had a tough first season in England but is now showing why Brighton parted with £25m to sign the German last summer.
The former Mainz midfielder provided a classy assist for Yasin Ayari – lifting a delicate ball over the Liverpool defence right into his teammate’s path.
He was a constant thorn in the champions’ defensive line and nearly had another brilliant assist in the second-half – back-heeling the ball to Welbeck, whose shot was well-saved.
Brajan Gruda was in sparkling form for Brighton against Liverpool. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Brajan Gruda was in sparkling form for Brighton against Liverpool. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Brajan Gruda was in sparkling form for Brighton against Liverpool. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
You could see the weight that had been lifted off his shoulders after scoring his first Brighton goal in the 2-0 win at Wolves last weekend.
Almost every Brighton fan inside the Amex stood to applaud Gruda, as he was replaced by Matt O’Riley – after a near-faultless 73 minutes against Liverpool on Monday night (May 19).
Asked it was Gruda’s best performance for Brighton so far, Hurzeler said: “Yes, I think it was an impressive performance.
“Now he's starting to get the reward for his hard work in the training sessions, for the sacrifices he has made during the season. He has to adapt to the culture, he has to adapt to a different country, to a different intensity. He had to sacrifice but he never gave up.
"He worked hard, he deserved to play today. I'm very happy for him.”
Hurzeler was asked what specifically he has been saying to his compatriot to encourage and motivate him through a tough period.
“Work hard, stay grounded, stay humble,” the 32-year-old said.
"If you're on the pitch, play fearless. I think it's very important that the players don't feel any fear.
"Especially for this young group and for the young players. It's so important that they can bring their full potential on the pitch without any self-doubts, without any fear. That's something we really try to work on, to give the players this help.”
Hurzeler acknowledged that it's ‘very difficult’ for a 20-year-old to adapt quickly in a new country.
"We always see the player as a machine who has to perform, who has to work,” the Brighton boss said.
"But there's a person behind the player. There's someone who has doubts, there's someone who has adversity during his phase here.
"Therefore, I think it's so important that we never underestimate the mental side from football. He did it today in an impressive way.
"We always try to give the young players this environment where they can really show their full potential. It's not only Brajan, it's also a lot of other young players who performed today in a good way.
"They showed character, they showed personality, and that's something I really like.”
One of those players was Harry Howell who became the youngest debutant in the club’s history on Monday night.
The 17-year-old came on at the same time as cousin Jack Hinshelwood – who scored within a minute of being brought on to secure the 3-2 victory.
Asked why he decided to bring Howell on at that moment, Hurzeler replied: “Because he adapted in an impressive way to the first-team environment.
"He showed impressive performances in training sessions. I'm not afraid of putting young players in.
"For me, it's not a question of age. For me, it's a question of quality. If you deserve to play, if you show a really good attitude in the training sessions, if you show what you're capable of in every training session, then you deserve to play.
"I think he had a great start into his Premier League career. He came into the game and just played like he was here for ten years before. So I'm really happy for him.”
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