'He'll surprise a few' - Premier League winner tips Percy Tau to succeed at Brighton & Hove Albion

Tau was recalled from his loan spell at Anderlecht last week after being granted a UK work permit, 905 days after signing for the Seagulls in 2018.

He was swiftly handed his debut in Albion’s penalty shootout win at Newport County on Sunday evening before starting in the narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.

And Lescott, a two-time Premier League winner with the Citizen, explained why it was an impressive debut defeat his team suffering defeat.

He told BT Sport: “He's not going to be judged on tonight but there was a lot of commitment.

“He's obviously pleased to be back in the Brighton building and contribute.

“I think what you can look at tonight is how reliable he was.

“I think he'll surprise a few players before the end of the season with his pace and his directness.

“I'm pleased for him. It's never easy to go to a new club after being out of loan but now I'm sure he's eager to impress.

Tau, who is described as a skilful left footed player who has pace and likes to run at defenders, played 68 minutes at the Etihad Stadium before being replaced by Neal Maupay.

Brighton fans also expressed their delight at his performance on social media after the game.

“If you looked at it, you wouldn't say that is his debut,” Lescott added.

“He's obviously played a number of games in Europe but facing a team like Man City, he wouldn't have done that before but he didn't hide away from it.

“He stuck to his responsibilities, whether that was in or out of possession.

“He can take a lot of pride from tonight, albeit he would have liked more opportunities in the final third and possession.

“But overall, it was a good performance from him.”