Brighton and Hove Albion youngster Julio Enciso has been hailed by Paraguay favourite Roque Santa Cruz, who insists he hasn’t ‘seen a player like him’.
Enciso joined Brighton in an €11.6m deal from Libertad in Paraguay in July, with the Seagulls moving quickly to secure his signature ahead of possible competition.
He is the latest in a growing list of South American youngsters to make the move to the South Coast in the last few years, joining the likes of Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Jeremy Sarmiento in the squad.
Brighton have become something of a breeding ground for South American talent, having cornered that market and offered players a direct route to the Premier League.
It’s a strategy that is working well for them, with Caicedo currently the shining example and a player already being linked with a big money move away.
“What I admire most about Julio is that he is passionate, he loves what he does,” La Union report him saying.
“He doesn’t go to work; he goes to train. He enjoys training and he is good at training. He goes every day to train and every day you see him with a smile on his face.
“There is a difference in his approach to football work. He knows he’s in a learning process and he knows he’s good.
“Since I returned to Paraguay, I haven’t seen any player like him, who has that ability.
“For example, in practices where we do two touches in the middle and with free space in the big area, he takes all the shots. Suddenly you can take the ball away from him, but he grabs you and comes back at you.
“I told him: ‘They hit you because they can’t reach you. You have to feel important if they’re hitting you all the time. That means they can’t tackle you. You don’t have to show them that you’re angry.”
