Albion boss Chris Hughton believes Jack Harper’s background with Spanish giants Real Madrid was a handicap at the Amex.

The ‘Kid From Madrid’ has joined Malaga after failing to make an impact during his 18 months at Albion.

The capture of Harper from Madrid’s youth system was accompanied by high expectations.

The 20-year-old Scot, born in Malaga, did not get anywhere near the Seagulls’ first team and could not command a regular place in the development side.

Hughton said: “In all fairness to Jack, he has worked very hard, he’s a good lad who wants to do well. He came with an injury which perhaps initially didn’t help and it took him a while to get over that, but we knew that at the time.

“Of course, there was a lot of hype around his move here, because of where he’d come from and probably that didn’t help him.”

Harper, signed by Malaga for an undisclosed fee, struggled to adapt to the rigours of the English game.

Hughton said: “We can only assess what we are seeing on a daily basis and he found it difficult to get into the under-23 side.

“Some lads at that age develop really well, some don’t. It certainly doesn’t mean he can’t go on and do well somewhere else. Sometimes it’s circumstances.

“There’s no doubt he came from a different playing culture into ours and that’s probably had some effect on our decision. It certainly wasn’t through lack of trying.

“We hope it’s just a period of career he’s had to come through and hopefully he’ll be better for it.”