Yasin Ayari

Ayari runs a Brighton midfield the way a genuine box to box player is supposed to, tracking back to help the defence out of trouble before sprinting the length of the pitch to support the attack a few phases later. That work rate rarely fades as matches wear on, which lets his manager trust him in the busiest stretches of a fixture list without much concern about him running out of legs. He tackles firmly rather than recklessly, timing challenges instead of simply throwing himself into them.

The tension with a midfielder who covers this much ground is knowing when to actually stop and hold a position instead of chasing the game everywhere. Constant movement can sometimes leave gaps that a more disciplined midfielder would never open up. Whether he learns to pick his moments rather than sprinting to every contest will decide how much further his game develops.