Mathew Ryan reckons he can be the first line of attack for Albion in the Premier League, as well as the last line of defence.

The Australian No.1 is encouraged to use his feet by his country - and expects to be doing the same for the Seagulls.

Ryan, a club record £5.2 million buy from Valencia, told The Argus: “Our structure in the national team is that our striker is the first defender and the goalkeeper is our first attacker.

“That’s pretty much the basis of how we go about our tactics.

“It’s one aspect of my game that I feel quite comfortable with, the ball at my feet. Hopefully I can be an asset to the team.

“I’ve done my homework on Brighton. They are one of the teams that do like to play out from the back. Even in the training sessions up to now, I’ve been trying to show what I can offer.

“Fingers crossed we can continue working and it can prove to be a strength of ours this season.”

Ryan has been training with Albion for the last four days after extra time to recover from his exertions in the Confederations Cup in Russia.

He makes his debut in today’s pre-season friendly at Crawley (3pm), managed by fellow Aussie Harry Kewell.

Ex-Ingolstadt team-mates Pascal Gross and Markus Suttner, the Seagulls’ other first team signings so far, will also feature.