Having made his senior bow in the Caribao Cup seven months ago under previous boss Graham Potter, the former Sydney FC junior has collected four goals and an assist in his last two games against Liverpool and Alexander Robertson’s Manchester City to remind head coach Roberto De Zerbi of his abundant promise.

However, for all the positivity reverberating around the 20-year-old, Peupion knows that cracking a senior side on the cusp of an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, and in the thick of the race for European spots, is a lofty short-term ambition.

Owned by former poker player Tony Bloom, Albion have played a winning hand in the transfer and recruitment market over the past few seasons - and the side sitting seventh in the EPL boast one of best balanced squads in the competition.

Bubbling under, though, are the likes of Peupion, who fired a treble overnight against PL2 leaders City to seal a shock 3-2 win, the clincher coming in the 87th minute. 

Peupion already trains regularly with the senior squad, and is enamoured with the methods of the club’s Italian head coach, with only a catalogue of controversial VAR calls denying Brighton at the very least a point over the weekend as they went down 2-1 to a fortuitous Tottenham in north London.

“He’s brilliant - totally football mad and a complete perfectionist,” Peupion told FTBL. “He's all over every tactical angle and all the small details and misses nothing. He’s a really good manager to play under and that’s why the boys are doing so well.

“There’s a huge difference there between him and Graham Potter, who was a lot more hands off at training and sort let his assistants run things and would take a step back.

“(De Zerbi) is a lot more hands on and is super intense and demands a lot.”

Addressing his prospects of finding a pathway into De Zerbi’s plans for the final stretch of the season on the south coast, Peupion added: “I’ll just put my head down and see what happens. I just want to play as many games as possible.

“You never know what can happen with injuries and things like that and I just have to be ready if the chance comes.”

Beyond this season, a loan may loom for the kid from Sydney’s northern beaches.

“Possibly a loan move might be an option next season,” he said. “Potentially that might be overseas. I’ve spoken to the club and they think that might be a good next step to get some (regular) first team football, whether that’s overseas or England.

“We’re looking at that possibility now. After that I’d hopefully come back with some more experience under my belt and really push for a spot in the first team.

“But things change in football and you never know what can happen.”

During the World Cup break, Peupion was part of Seagulls squad which jetted to Dubai for a training camp where played 70 minutes against Aston Villa in a friendly, testing himself against former England defender Ashley Young.

Now in his third year at the Amex, Peupion is pleased with his progression.

“I’m in my second season now with the U-23s and I’m learning more every week - now I think it’s time to be focused on getting senior football, which is why a loan has been talked about,” he said.

“Sports science is huge at Brighton and I think I’ve got stronger and quicker in my time here, which helps your game a lot.

“I think I’ve also matured tactically - the style we play with the U-23s is very similar to the first team in terms of playing out from the back. It’s a possession based game which can be a bit risky at times but if done well can be very effective.

“I don’t know how they do it but the club always seems to bring in the next big talent (case in point Irish teenage sensation Evan Ferguson), and training amongst brilliant players like (World Cup winner) Alexis Mac Allister is massive for me, watching how they train, how they recover and how professional they are.

“There’s so much quality here - it’s a great club to be part of.”

Front and centre of Tony Vidmar’s plans with the Olyroos, Peupion was part of the side last month which beat Serie B Como 4-0 in a friendly as they build towards September’s qualifiers for next year’s Paris Games. 

Beyond that he has the Socceroos in his sights for the 2026 World Cup.

“I think we have a lot of good players coming through (with the Olyroos) - it’s an exciting period," he said.

“If I can go out on loan and do really well then I’d look to push for a Socceroos spot. That’s a big long term goal, for sure.”