'I passed my Uefa B' – Brighton star set for coaching role after Roberto De Zerbi admission

Brighton player of the year Pascal Gross is already planning for his future despite being at the peak of his powers on the pitch.

Gross, 32, has enjoyed a fine season with Albion and was named the Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season at the Albion awards dinner on Monday night.

The German, who joined Brighton for just £2m in 2017 from FC Ingolstadt, has excelled under head coach Roberto De Zerbi this term with five goals and 13 assists in all competitions. His form also saw him called up for the Germany national team this term and the Brighton man hopes to play a key role at this summer’s Euros, which will be held in Germany.

Despite his excellent form Gross, who will have just one year remaining on his Albion contract this summer, is already preparing for the next stage of his career as a coach and he said De Zerbi has been a huge influence.

“I passed my Uefa B Licence,” he to the Albion website. “At the moment I’m learning every day from my coach and we’re lucky to have him.

"He has been massive. I wanted to be a coach all my life because I love football so much I want to stay involved. Meeting him helped me playing, coaching, everything.”

Of his player of the season awards, Gross added: “It means that I’m doing things right, and it’s massive for me because football is all about the fans.”