Brighton and Hove Albion youngster Julio Enciso has admitted he struggled early on at the club after his arrival from Libertad as he had to adapt to a new status in the squad.
Enciso joined Brighton in an €11.6m deal from Paraguayan side Libertad in July as part of the Seagulls’ continued efforts to hoover up South American talent.
He was placed straight into the Brighton first-team squad under Graham Potter and has stayed their ever since, even after Potter’s move to Chelsea and the arrival of Roberto de Zerbi.
He has been a regular on the bench since the middle of October and was handed a 25-minute debut in the 3-1 win over Chelsea at the end of the month.
He was returned to the bench for the 3-2 win over Wolves but was handed 54 minutes last weekend in the loss to Aston Villa.
His playing time has slowly been increasing and is likely to continue on that path for the remainder of the season as he becomes more accustomed to life in England and Brighton continue to hand him chances to aid his development.
Much will depend on how Enciso continues to adapt to life in England, something he admits has been a struggle early on.
“The truth is that at the beginning I had a hard time,” he told Tigo Sports.
“Because at Libertad I felt I was an important player for the group, for the squad; but in England it was totally different.
“I arrived as an unknown player and little by little I earned my place too, little by little my team-mates got to know me.
“Here they don’t know me like they know me at Libertad and in the national team, but little by little I’m earning my place.”
¡Conversamos con @julioEnciso33 en #SportivísimoPY!
La Joya nos habla de su presente en el Brighton y de cómo vive sus primeras experiencias en el fútbol inglés. https://t.co/r7CPdBhC6x
— Tigo Sports (@TigoSportsPY) November 18, 2022
