RSC Anderlecht winger Anders Dreyer has admitted he joined Brighton and Hove Albion too early in his career and wasn’t ready for the move at that point.
The forward has been speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws as he quietly enjoys a superb season for the Belgian side, with 14 goals and two assists in 19 games in all competitions so far.
He only joined Anderlecht in the summer in a €4.2m deal from FC Midtjylland, the latest in a series of moves in his career to date.
He had returned to his homeland after a spell in Russia with Rubin Kazan, after initially returning to Denmark following an unsuccessful shot at the big time with Brighton.
Dreyer joined them as a youngster from Esbjerg U18’s in a €2.2m deal in August 2018 but failed to make the grade, not managing a single first-team appearance and only 16 for the U21s in a two-year spell that was mostly spent out on loan.
He returned to Denmark after that, went to Russia then returned again only to move to Belgium this summer, where things appear to be going rather well.
It means the winger can now reflect on how things have transpired, and he admits that Brighton came far too soon.
“Suddenly I had the opportunity to go to the best league in the world and I wanted to take that opportunity,” he said.
“But I was too young, and I wasn’t ready for England, although it remains a dream to one day play in the Premier League.
“Brighton also loaned me to St. Mirren in Scotland for six months. That period taught me that you will never make it in professional football based on technique alone. That period was very instructive for the rest of my career.”
