Bruno says he has always loved Ashley Barnes as a player and a competitor.

Even when he had to usher him off the pitch after his most infamous misdemeanour.

Current form says Barnes will be a major threat to Albion at Burnley on Saturday as they aim to secure safety.

He has underlined what Bruno felt at the time – that the Bath-born striker was under-rated during his time at the Amex.

As the second top scorer in the Premier League in the last two months, behind only Mo Salah, no one is under-valuing Barnes now.

The old fire which could get him into scrapes at times is still there.

But Bruno has revealed why that spark was highly valued behind the scenes.

The right-back is expected to make his 202nd league start for the Seagulls when they go to East Lanes.

Barnes turned in the first goal Albion scored with the Catalan in the side, at home to Barnsley in August 2012.

Bruno said: “I loved him to be honest since the first day. He was under-rated here. He was a really good player.

“He can play up front in any position and he has been progressing.

“I love the way he plays and his passion. I love how strong he is, the quality he has and how he keeps the ball.

“He is a grown man now. I think he is more mature and he is a top player.”

Barnes was initially brought to Withdean by Gus Poyet as a traditional centre-forward in League One.

When Albion kicked off their title-winning season of 2010-11, he was the only genuine striker in the side, with Jamie Smith playing off him and Elliott Bennett wide.

Glenn Murray and Chris Wood, both of whom will be at Turf Moor on Saturday, helped form an impressive triumvirate of powerful forwards as that title-winning season wore on.

Then things changed. Albion became more possession-based and more cautious as they moved to the Amex and the Championship.

The Argus:

Barnes, though wearing No.9, often found himself in a half-and-half role, away to the left a little and dropping back a bit.

It almost felt like his position should be listed as “defensive left-of-centre forward” at times. But Poyet trusted him and picked him every week.

Bruno said: “He was left and a bit back but now I think he has found the position.”

There were tough times. The most infamous came on his return from a straight red card at Sheffield Wednesday which was followed by illness.

In his first game back, with Albion failing to turn possession into shots at Bolton, he was deemed to have tripped referee Nigel Miller and was sent off in the 90th minute.

An enraged Barnes refused to leave the pitch so Bruno, acting like the skipper he was later to become, grabbed him and shoved him towards the touchline.

Bruno said: “Of course he showed that side sometimes - as you say against Bolton.

“But, in terms of play and in terms of training, you could rely on him.

“He was always ready for a battle and that is what you want from your players.”

Barnes returned from his lengthy ban with two goals in a 6-1 rout of Blackpool for which Leo Ulloa was rested, after which Poyet admitted he had usually used him out of position.

Poyet said: “People are used to seeing Ash wide and he is a No.9.”

Burnley have generally used him as a No.9 and the results have been impressive.

Albion fans applauded him on to the pitch at the Amex in December.

He was booked for clattering Mathew Ryan into the net and Bruno had a laugh with him as he helped him out of the net.

But Seagulls fans were cheering, inside at least, when his goal plunged another nail into Stoke’s relegation coffin last Sunday.

There still aren’t many airs and graces about Barnes.

He still drives a Smart car although he permitted himself the luxury of a hair transplant last summer when he was starting to go a bit thin on top.

That is something Bruno won’t be copying any time soon.

Barnes got on for 15 minutes when Albion went to Turf Moor in 2013-14, soon after moving north in the January transfer window.

And he was out with a long-term knee injury during the 2015-16 season, eventually returning as a sub during the Clarets’ 2-2 draw at the Amex later in the season.

Burnley have gone from strength to strength since that day.

Bruno sees them as a good example to follow as Albion close in on something the Clarets did not achieve – staying up at the first attempt.

He said: “What we need now is to keep performing well.

“Tottenham was a really good performance and we need to keep building up from there.

“We had quite a long week to prepare as we had to get another three points to make sure we stay up.

“We don’t think further than Burnley.

“We need to be not obsessed but just thinking about Burnley and how they play.

“I think it is a really good team to look at.

“They have been working so hard and look at where they are. that is what we need to achieve.”