Brighton’s Carlos Baleba has spoken out about his season so far following strong links to Manchester United last summer.
The Cameroonian youngster has struggled for minutes as of late, with James Milner stepping up in recent weeks to bolster Fabian Hurzeler’s midfield and become a key part of the team that has produced four wins from the last five Premier League games.
The 22-year-old endured a slow start to the campaign after transfer speculation linked him to the Red Devils, but despite much criticism, he has still produced some eye-catching performances for the Seagulls, especially since the turn of the year, that show he still has the quality and potential that was seen last season.
The No.17 was asked if he felt this season had been quite ‘up and down’, he told BBC Sussex: “Yeah, my season is up and down, but the season is not finished. I keep pushing hard, I keep working, and then we will see until the end of the season.”
After missing out on the squad that beat Sunderland 1-0, Baleba was named as a substitute against Liverpool, where he played the closing 15 minutes and helped the Albion see out a deserved 2-1 victory against last season’s champions Liverpool.
The midfielder was also asked if it has been frustrating not playing as much as previous years, he explained: “No, not really. I keep working and then I stay focused, at the right position, and then continue to work. If I’m not a starter, it’s not a big problem, I continue to work for the team.”
The former Lille wonderkid is still highly rated by the south coast side, and despite an inconstant campaign, it will still likely take an astronomical offer to convince Tony Bloom to let him go.