Chelsea loanee Colwill jokes that he needs to be reminded he's a Blues player

Brighton defender Levi Colwill jokingly claimed that he 'forgot' he was on loan from Chelsea in a recent interview.

The England U21 star has been loving life at the Amex this season and has played a vital role in their success, which has seen them earn a place in Europe next season.

He played the full 90 minutes in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Wednesday night, which was the Seagull's penultimate game of the Premier League season.

And, when asked about his future, Colwill remained coy about a possible return to Chelsea and admitted that he wants to 'repay' the 'trust' placed in him by Brighton.

In an interview with The Athletic, the 20-year-old had to be reminded which club he is - permanently - contracted to. He laughed and replied: 'I forgot for a minute'.

He was then asked about where he sees his future, to which he said: 'Brighton have done a lot for me. They put their trust in me when others didn't and I'm a person that loves to repay that. We'll see.

'I don't know what is going to happen [at Chelsea]. I'm still here until the end of the season. I just focus on that, then I've got the Euros [U21 European Championship with England] in the summer.

'After that, we'll see what happens and go from there. I love the Brighton fans, I love everything about them. I'll take that into consideration.'

The 20-year-old has never made a senior appearance for Chelsea. There had been suggestions he could challenge for a first-team place after his terrific loan spell at Huddersfield last season, but that never happened.

Instead, Colwill opted to join Brighton on loan for the season - as Marc Cucurella secured a permanent move in the other direction - and has not looked back.

His 16 appearances, and two assists, prove how well he's adapted to Roberto De Zerbi's tactical approach and Colwill even revealed he 'loves' their style of play.

'We want to be an aggressive team,' Colwill said. 'At times, we can go man for man, hopefully press and win the ball high up the pitch. We're never going to be a team that sits off.

'It's obviously tough work. I was blowing out of my arse! But apart from that I do enjoy it. It's showing you want to win the ball back as fast as possible.

When you do you hear the fans roar. It's an amazing feeling and you want to do it again. It's aggressive and I love it.'

Brighton could never have dreamed of securing a place in Europe next season before De Zerbi's appointment and Chelsea loanee Colwill admitted that the Italian coach has 'changed' the club.

'When Roberto came in, he just changed things,' Colwill explained. 'His mentality as a manager is world class and he is definitely going to be one of the best managers in the world, if he's not already.

'That's what you need at a club like this, that's what you need to take us to the next level. I never realised how good the players are and he's come in and playing the style — oh, it's amazing.

'It fits everyone in the changing room. That's why they are all playing outrageous football.'