By Ben Reynolds

Bart Verbruggen has spoken about the importance of a mental coach in his rapid progress.

The Albion goalkeeper Verbruggen has revealed he has worked with a specialist since he was 15 to maintain his mental well-being.

The 21-year-old recently became the youngest goalkeeper in 20 years to play at the European Championships, starting in the 2-1 win against Poland last Sunday.

This marks a significant milestone in his rapidly progressing career.

Over the past few months, he has become Albion's first-choice goalkeeper and secured the same role for his national team.

Verbruggen spoke to the media during a press conference with the Netherlands at Euro 2024.

He made his first-team debut for Anderlecht on December 26, 2022 and quickly established himself as their primary goalkeeper before moving to the Seagulls last summer.

There, he proved himself and earned a spot in Dutch manager Ronald Koeman’s team as their No.1 goalkeeper.

Despite his swift rise, Verbruggen remains mentally grounded, crediting his long-term work with a mental coach.

He said: “Goalkeeping can be an experience-based profession.

“But when you’re ready, you’re ready. I had that feeling for a while myself.

“Fortunately, the national coach also has that confidence in me. Then age doesn’t matter.

“I have been working with a mental coach since I was 15.

“As a goalkeeper you are constantly balancing on the edge of hero and villain.

“Then you look for a way that helps you, so that I am always ready for the next action.

“At my club Brighton, we do yoga. Meditation may be a big word, but when I need it, I do certain exercises to calm down.”

On the international stage, Verbruggen is viewed as a rising star and received praise for his performance in the win over Poland, where he made six saves, including a crucial one to prevent Jakub Kiwior from equalising at 2-2.

The next challenge is against tournament favourites France, where he aims to deliver another strong performance to help his team qualify for the knockout stages.

It is unclear ether Kylian Mbappe will play for France but Verbruggen will relish that challenge if it comes.

He said: 'They have some very good attackers and a very good team.

“Mbappe is a super good player that we have to guard against, but we are not afraid of anyone.

“I think as a player you want to play in the highest possible competitions against the best possible players.

“It's nice to arm yourself against that.

“I have confidence in our team.

“It has been quite good defensively in the last few games.”

Holland play France in Leipzig on Friday.