Yasin Ayari says his setbacks in the Championship made him hungrier to show what he is capable of at Brighton.

Ayari had loan spells at Coventry and Rovers last term but didn’t start as many games as he would have hoped.

The 21-year-old managed to impress new boss Fabian Hurzeler and has made nine Premier League appearances so far this season, including starts against Manchester City and Liverpool before the international break.

“I would say that I wouldn’t be here today if last season didn’t happen,” Ayari told the club channels.

“It made me a completely new man, going through so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise gone through if everything was good.

“I’m really happy, in a way, that last season happened. I didn’t play so much, but I still got through the difficult times, both inside and outside of football, and it made me even more determined to prove people wrong.”

He added: “The Championship was very physical, lots of long balls, but I feel I am more suited to the Premier League.

“At this level you are given more respect, more time on the ball, and that helps me show what I can do.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very intense league, but you still have that time on the ball to make a pass, to find a team-mate.”

The Seagulls have had a strong start to the campaign and currently sit sixth in the table, only behind third-place Chelsea on goal difference.

One of Ayari’s best performances to date came against Arsenal when he was subbed on inside the opening 20 minutes after an injury to James Milner.

“That performance really boosted my confidence,” he recalled. “It was good to see that the coach trusted me in that situation because playing Arsenal at the Emirates is one of the toughest games you can play in Europe.

“But he put me on and I think I had a good game. I’ve felt like since then I’ve been getting good minutes on the pitch and everything is going in the right direction for me.

“I just think that in the Premier League, you cannot underestimate any team, no matter where they are in the table.

“We’ve had some tough fixtures of late, but we know that we can beat any team on our day – especially when we are at the Amex. It's always special to play here with the fans.”