Jakub Moder's debut for Albion came in an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Leicester City last February.

That in itself might tell you how carefully Graham Potter handled him in the early days.

His first minutes for club should have come as a sub in the previous round at home to Blackpool.

But, with the Seagulls only 2-1 up, their head coach decided it was not the moment to throw him into English football.

That is how gently Moder was being introduced.

A few weeks later he was deemed ready and showed good signs in a 1-0 defeat at the King Power.

Fast forward seven months and Moder, now a first choice for Poland, was the man to go on when Albion suffered a major injury setback in the heat of battle at Brentford.

BRIGHTON STRIKER KAYLEIGH GREEN SCORES TWICE FOR WALES

He was employed at right wing-back when Adam Webster went off.

But he was in midfield when, for the second successive away match, he played a big part in a goal on the way to victory.

It has been quite a progression for the former Lech Poznan midfielder.

One which, it was put to Potter ahead of Leicester’s visit, must have featured some landmark moments when the 22-year-old took big leaps forward.

Potter told The Argus: “I think he has taken steps pretty much all the time.

“Like we always say, adapting to a new club, a new country, a new league.

“He had had a lot football when he first came.

“He was on a break and we were halfway through a season so it isn’t so easy to step into the team.

“But he helped us a lot in the back end of last year. He played different positions.

“He played almost as a wing-back coming in against Newcastle and was really effective.

“He contributed to the 3-0 win in terms of his performance.

“He is still combining getting used to the Premier League and going away for international football.

“He has got a lot of challenges but we are really excited by him. You can see his quality every day.

“He has going to be a fantastic player for us.

“He is one for the now and he is one for the future as well.

“We are really happy with him.”

Moder was in quite an advanced left-of-centre midfield role when he played his part in the winning goal at Brentford.

He popped up in a similar area, but on the right, to set up Neal Maupay’s equaliser at Burnley.

There are suggestions by many Albion observers that Moises Caicedo was signed as successor to Yves Bissouma.

All the time, one wondered whether Moder might bring his own interpretation to that role. Not that it is required yet, of course.

Moder has shown versatility.

But, asked to pin down the position in which he will ultimately star, Potter said: “He’s going to be a midfield player.

“He’s a central midfield player who can probably go box to box.

“He can add goals to the team, range of pass.

“That’s where we would see his main position.”