Belgian footballers are all the rage in England at the moment.

Edin Hazard was the standout performer as Chelsea won the title last season alongside goalkeeper Thibault Courtois while the likes of Christian Benteke, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku light up the Premier League.

Even in the lower divisions the influx of Belgian talent is growing with Crawley Town jumping on the bandwagon by signing left-back Bryan Van Den Bogaert on a one-month deal.

Van Den Bogaert is set to make his Football League debut against AFC Wimbledon today having played in the Capital One Cup defeat at Peterborough United on Tuesday.

It will be a special moment for the 23-year-old who turned down a new two-year deal at Antwerp in the summer to follow his dream of playing in England.

Van Den Bogaert said: "I could have stayed at Antwerp but I wanted something new and I have always wanted to play in England.

"I had a contract offer from Shrewsbury last season and then went on trial to Bolton in April. I did well but I went back to Belgium to end my contract with Antwerp and nothing came of it.

"It was a big gamble (leaving Antwerp) and it backfired a bit initially but I am really pleased it has worked out in the end. It all happened so fast coming to Crawley but I'm happy I'm here.

"There are a lot of Belgian players in the Premier League and so I watch English football a lot. It is my type of football and I think it suits my character which is why I wanted to play here.

"I tackle hard, I will die before the other team scores - that is my catchphrase. Belgian football is not like that at all.

"English football is less technical than Belgian football but more powerful and a lot quicker. I like it when people fight for the ball and you have to deal with lots of long balls."

Van Den Bogeart's determination was highlighted when he drove five hours from Belgian to play in the pre-season friendly against Reading.

His performance against the Royals impressed boss Mark Yates enough to ask him to stay but an ankle injury suffered in the next game against Nuneaton ruled him out of the trip to Oxford United on the opening day.

He has another three weeks to convince Yates he is worth a longer-term contract but is confident he can showcase his talents in that time.

"I don't feel under pressure as lot of clubs so if playing another club can watch me play," he added. "Whatever happens I want to stay in England whether that is with Crawley or somewhere else.

"I am still looking for my game after my ankle injury. I know I can be better (than at Peterborough) so I have to train hard and hopefully today it will be better.

"I'm looking forward to playing my first game at home. I'm very curious about the crowd here because at Antwerp we got 12,000 home fans and they were completely crazy."

Yates is hopeful midfield duo Simon Walton and Conor Henderson will be available today after missing the 2-0 defeat at Peterborough through injury while wantaway striker Izale McLeod could feature for the first time this season.