Martin Montoya is relishing a Premier League debut – after a late change of summer plan.

The Albion right-back has revealed he was expecting to join Real Betis this month.

Now he looks set to make his bow for the Seagulls against Manchester United tomorrow with Bruno ruled out by injury.

Montoya was linked with a return to Betis, where he had previously been on loan, with Napoli also interested.

He told The Argus: “It was a last-minute thing - or the last few days.

“I was talking to Betis as well. There was the possibility of going there but in the end it didn’t happen.

“I wanted something new. I’m going to play in The Premier League in a team who have shown faith in me and were keen to talk to me.”

Montoya’s former Valencia colleague Mathew Ryan played a part in Montoya giving the Albion move his seal of approval.

He added: “I spoke to Mat and he said the club is very good, the city is very good, the stadium is very good, it’s the Premier League, the team want to play football.

“He said I’d be happy here and that I’d adapt quickly.

“He said there were people here who speak Spanish, too.

“Valencia was very good. The first year was a bit difficult because we were in the middle of the table.

“We wanted to be competing for a European place and it was a hard year with a lot of changes of manager.

“Last year, we did what we set out to do which was to take the club back up the table.

“We got into the Champions League, there was more stability, we only had one manager.

“It was my decision to move on. 

“They hadn’t said they weren’t counting on me.

“But they signed a full-back, (Cristiano) Piccini, and I was thinking about leaving because I didn’t play away from home very much in the second half of the season.”

Montoya is ready for a somewhat different challenge to that he faced at previous clubs Barcelona and Valencia.

He said: “We are going to fight to stay up. Where I’ve been at Barcelona and Valencia, they are teams who fight to be top.

“It’s a big challenge for me and I’m really happy and looking forward to starting.

“I did pre-season with Valencia, I played in five matches so I’m prepared.”