Pascal Gross gets on the ball in the win at Sunderland (Image: Richard Parkes)
Pascal Gross gets on the ball in the win at Sunderland (Image: Richard Parkes)
Fabian Hurzeler finally ran out of words with which to praise Pascal Gross.
But Albion midfielder Chema Andres stepped in after the 2-0 win over Sunderland.
Gross was involved in both second-half goals as the Seagulls picked up three more points.
Hurzeler has been consistently asked about his compatriot after recent games as he produces some of the best form of his career.
He tends to refer to him as a fine wine who gets better with age.
A stellar September saw Gross named as Premier League player of the month.
Asked in his post-match press conference whether Gross can get even better, Hurzeler said with a laugh: “He already won player of the month, so I'm not sure how good he should get!”
Downstairs near the changing rooms a few minutes later, Chema was also asked about Gross and said: “Unbelievable. Playing with him is so easy.
“He does so many things. He's running, I think, the most on the team, and he's, I don't know how old he is, 38?
“Okay, 35. He’s running the most, its unbelievable, and then the quality he has, in training you can see it.
“He is always training hard, even though he's 35, he's training the most, and I think, then on the pitch, you see the results.
“I hope he doesn’t slow down. I think we need him at his top level.
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“He has already become a legend in the club, same as Lewis (Dunk), but I think the hunger and the ambition he has is amazing.
“He has taken that to our all the young players. We see how he works and we try to follow him.”
The two current Albion men were bith playing in the Bundesliga in the first half of last season.
Gross was an unused substitute when Chema’s Stuttgart drew 3-3 at Dortmund last November.
Asked whether he knew much about Gross before arriving at Albion, Chema said: “I didn't know him really well but, since the first day I came here, I saw the quality he has and I think like that, the rest of the days.”