Albion skipper Lewis Dunk has joined an elite list of goalscorers.

The 29-year-old’s header in their 2-1 win over Southampton put him ninth on the list of the Seagulls top-flight goalscorers, with ten to his name.

He joins a select band who have reached double figures for the club in the top division.

The Argus:

He is not the only current Albion player in this list, with Pascal Gross (14) in seventh and striker Neal Maupay (17) sixth on the list.

That header against the Saints also helped him to break another record, with no central defender having scored more Premier League goals than Dunk (ten) since his debut in the competition in August 2017.

In total in 135 appearances in the Premier League, he has scored ten goals and got five assists.

Dunk (four) is now also second on the list of the Seagulls top scorers this season with only Maupay (seven) having scored more.

Someone who played with him early on in his career was former Albion skipper Gordon Greer.

The ex-Scotland international believes that Dunk has been a vital player for the Seagulls over the years.

He said: “You cannot underestimate how important players like Dunk have been. He has been the rock that has kept them together and he has been fantastic this season.”

Greer also revealed he knew Dunk would go on and skipper Albion and make plenty of appearances.

However, he didn’t imagine he would be ranking him as one of the best centre half’s in the top-flight.

He said: “I didn’t think I would be saying that he is probably one of the best centre backs in the Premier League, I never thought I’d be saying that.

“But I definitely envisaged him playing for Brighton and captaining the club for a long time because he was such a good player.

“You could see his talent and he has matured really well as he has got older.

“This season and last season as well he was fantastic, so credit where credit is due, big Dunky has been excellent for the club.”

In terms of how Dunk ranks with other centre-backs in the league, he is right up there at the top of the charts for goals scored.

He is the joint top along with Manchester City’s John Stones and Kurt Zouma, who have also found the back of the net four times.

Dunk is also the joint top for English centre-backs with Stones.

He also sits fourth for the most shots (26) with only Manchester United’s Harry Maguire (31) having more efforts.

His performances and his contributions in front of goal have led to calls for him to return to the England squad.

Dunk’s solitary cap for his country came in November 2018 against the USA in a friendly at Wembley, where he played the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win.

Gareth Southgate will name his squad for their World Cup qualifiers against San Marino (March 25), Albania (March 28), and Poland (March 31) on Thursday afternoon.

After the win over Southampton, head coach Graham Potter was asked whether he thinks his skipper will get recalled to the national team. He replied: “Thankfully it is not my problem.

“I thought he was fantastic today (Sunday).

“It was a great goal. He’s an unbelievable player for us.

“He is so important, he’s a massive part of what we’re doing. And then it’s over to Gareth to decide.

“But all Lewis can do is keep playing well for us and that is what he did well today (Sunday).”