Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler will have no problem throwing Eiran Cashin in at the deep end now that the former Ireland Under-21 centre-half has made his €11m move to the Premier League.
The Seagulls forked out to secure their long-time target from Derby County.
And Hurzeler has been impressed with the 23-year-old’s displays so far in training.
Cashin was included on the bench for Saturday night’s 2-1 FA Cup win against Chelsea, but Hurzeler opted against bringing him on as Brighton held tight against Enzo Maresca’s side.
His debut could come, however, against the Blues, when the two sides meet again on Friday, this time in the Premier League.
Hurzeler, reflecting on Cashin’s ability, told the Brighton website: “In possession he’s a player with a very good left foot, so he can break lines with his passes.
“He always finds a teammate who can continue the game forward and I think that’s a special quality. On top of that he is very aggressive against the ball.
“He likes to have personal duels, and he does not hide from making the last step. I knew that the club wanted to have him for a long time.
“We had the opportunity to sign him and we are all happy.”
Cashin spoke after his move about his desire to use his status as a Premier League player to secure a senior international breakthrough.
Although he appeared regularly for Derby in the Championship this season, making 21 appearances before his January transfer window move, he couldn’t force his way into Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad.
In that time, the new Ireland manager called up Nathan Collins, Jake O’Brien, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales, Shane Duffy, Mark McGuinness and Andrew Omobamidele in that role.
Looking ahead, Cashin said: “I want to develop and be better and hopefully I can find myself in the team and be playing.
“Coming here is a great stepping stone for me to potentially play for Ireland. If I can do well here and succeed, it will hopefully open up a door to play for my national team as it’s something I always dreamed of.”
