Brighton defender Leon Balogun says that he was shocked by Manchester United’s “slow” football when the two sides met on Sunday and expects Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to prove a much tougher proposition at the weekend.
The German-born Nigeria international joined the ‘Seagulls’ from Mainz during the summer and was expecting the Premier League to be more fast-paced than the Bundesliga.
However, his experiences in the 3-2 victory over United have made him think otherwise.
“Some of the lads have just asked me that too and I said I had expected the Premier League to be quicker, but they told me this is always the kind of game you play against United,” he revealed.
“They like to slow it down a little bit sometimes. Liverpool is going to be completely different. I know how [Jürgen] Klopp likes to play. It’s going to be a lot quicker and a lot more intense.”
Balogun made his debut in that game after replacing the injured Lewis Dunk after 20 minutes and centre-back partner Shane Duffy hailed Balogun for the was he has adapted to life at the club.
“He’s fitted straight in,” Duffy said. “He’s a big character in the changing room. He’s got a big voice. He’s played with big players in big games. That’s why you bring in players like that. They push us. He was great. That’s another plus for us, that strength in depth with top players. You pick up injuries and suspensions so you need these kind of players to step in.”