ALBION star Tariq Lamptey is thrilled to be back amongst the starters and hopes he can continue to learn.

The defender made his first Premier League start in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle United on Saturday, the first since Albion's 0-0 draw against Fulham back in December 2020.

Lamptey made his return from the hamstring injury in September against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup before making three substitute appearances from the bench.

The 21-year-old said: "I felt quite strong, even towards the end of the game. It was just great to be back on the pitch and doing the thing I love, it’s been a long time coming.

“I just have to keep working hard because there are things in my game I can improve. The way to do that is to keep playing games and learning from the great coaches and players around me.

“Every week you pick up different things and face a new challenge because there are a lot of world-class players and fantastic teams in the Premier League. That brings the best out in me.”

READ MORE: Brighton boss Graham Potter explains new Tariq Lamptey role

Since his return to the pitch, the former Chelsea academy graduate has been given the opportunity to play in a more advanced midfield style role, which allows him to utilise his attacking abilities more often during a match.

The change in position was evident in the match against the Magpies as Lamptey caused trouble for much of the game and even almost scored during the second half, only to be denied by goalkeeper Karl Darlow.

Lamptey said: "I enjoyed it, but it’s not a new position to me.

"In my youth career, I moved around quite a lot, played on the left and right and further up the pitch."

The Argus: Brighton and Hove Albion's Tariq Lamptey (left) and Newcastle United's Matt Ritchie battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton. Picture date: Saturday November 6, 2021.Brighton and Hove Albion's Tariq Lamptey (left) and Newcastle United's Matt Ritchie battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton. Picture date: Saturday November 6, 2021.

The defender was relatively satisfied with the draw against Newcastle, despite the fact the club were leading until the 66th minute.

He said: "In terms of the game, we know we can do better, we only played well in patches but in the circumstances at the end [when goalkeeper Rob Sanchez was sent off] it’s not a bad point.

"We’ll look to go again after the break against Aston Villa.”