Brighton boss Graham Potter admits Dan Burn has played his way into starting recognition.
Burn shone in their 4-0 friendly win over Birmingham City.
The Seagulls began with a back three at the weekend, consisting of Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk and Burn.
Potter spoke about the flexibility involved within that system and singled out Burn for praise.
“You want your defenders to be able to defend in the wide areas and be able to step in when needed," he said.
“You don't want them to be too rigid in those positions, otherwise you end up with a numerical disadvantage further up the field.
“Dan gives us an option and Bernardo can play there too, so we're just using the group as well as we can."