Brighton's £3m signing rivalling Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne hails 'unbelievable' journey for club

Gross, 32, was Albion’s first signing of the Premier League era – costing £3m to buy from Bundesliga club Ingolstadt in May 2017.

The German international made history by scoring the Seagulls’ first ever Premier League goal – in a 3–1 win at home against West Bromwich Albion. He netted a brace – and provided an assist – in that game.

It truly set the tone for a superb career at Brighton, which has seen him score 30 goals and notch 44 assists so far.

Gross – Brighton's record top-flight scorer – was a key figure in the team that secured historic European qualification last season and has maintained that form this term.

Gross spoke to reporters after the win against bitter-rivals Crystal Palace – in which he provided two assists.

Asked about the journey Brighton have been on since he signed, he said: “I think it's unbelievable.

"It's very positive that we are still in three competitions. We play a lot of games in the next few months but we need to enjoy it. We work really hard to be in this situation."

In December, it was revealed by Between the Lines that Gross had created 433 chances in the Premier League since the start of the 2017/18 season.

For context, only Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, one of the world's best players, had created more chances at 544 at that time.

The German international, who made his debut for his country earlier this season, is also incredibly versatile, being able to play pretty much anywhere on the pitch.

"Wherever I'm needed, I'm more than happy to play,” Gross said. “I can adapt.

"I think a lot about football and tactics anyway. I want to be good in different positions. Wherever I'm needed, I have no problem to play."

Gross has played under three different managers – Chris Hughton, Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi.

“You have to adapt,” the German said. “It's fair to say they are three very different managers. I've been here since the start and it's a great journey we've been on.

"We want to play good football. The last game [at Luton], we were very bad.

"The game before, Sheffield away, we dominated the game and won it and played well. We want to win more games.

“It was a good win today [against Crystal Palace] and from there, we can build.

“We can adapt to whatever the opponent tries to do. We try to have solutions. We work on that in training.”

Gross’ home country will host the much-anticipated Euro 2024 competition, which is scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 14.

But the Brighton star – who is reportedly a ‘dream target’ for Eintracht Frankfurt next summer – is fully focused on helping his team to achieve more history before he thinks about his country.

"It would be a dream for me to part of that [Euro finals in Germany],” he said. “But it's a long way away.

"We are in three competitions, in the second part of the season and I need to focus on that."