On Sunday we welcome Chris Hughton, Colin Calderwood, the Brighton staff, players and supporters to Pittodrie for Jamie Langfield’s Testimonial.

Brighton youngster Jeffrey Monakana arrived at Aberdeen on loan this time last year and though he didn’t play as often as he would have liked for the Dons, we saw enough glimpses of him to recognise that he has plenty to offer the game in the years ahead.

Jeffrey started out at Arsenal, earning a four year contract in 2008 at the tender age of 14. He moved to Preston in 2012 and then Brighton two years later. After suffering an injury hit campaign last term, he is looking to make his mark on the south coast in the coming season.

“Pre-season has been going ok. I had a little injury at the end of last season so I have been recovering from that and working my way back, but the physio staff are now allowing me to take part in training and hopefully I can start to take part in the games. It has been a frustrating period but I am feeling strong again.

“When I left Aberdeen at the end of December, I went back to Brighton and spoke to the manager, Chris Houghton. He felt that I should go out on loan again to continue my development and to get more first team experience, which I did. I went to Mansfield Town before getting recalled and then I went out on loan again, this time to Carlisle United but as soon as I went up there, I got injured in my first game which was a shame. It was the same when I was at Aberdeen, my time at Pittodrie was hampered by injury. Hopefully I am now over those little niggles and can have an injury free season.

“It was a busy season for me last year and I certainly got to see a lot of the country! This season I am hoping to stay at Brighton and to challenge for a place in the first team squad. I hope I can have a good run, but at the moment I am not thinking too far ahead. I am just concentrating on getting 100% fit and then I can kick on from there”.

Although it was a brief stay for Jeffrey in the Granite City, the Dons clearly left their mark on him because he kept in touch with events at Pittodrie after he left.

“Although I was not there during the second half of the season I was still a big Aberdeen supporter and kept a close eye on what was going on. It was great to see them doing so well and to have such a great season. It’s also good to see how well they have started in Europe this season. I am still in touch with what is going on at Pittodrie. I really enjoyed my spell in Scotland. I really got on with all the boys and enjoyed being part of the squad.

“I was also delighted to see the Aberdeen U20s won the Youth League. That was a fantastic achievement. Winning any league at any level requires a great deal of consistency. I played quite a number of games for them, in fact I am probably due a medal! It’s good to know that I played my part.

“It was enjoyable playing with guys like Lawrence and Cammy. Playing with them made things very easy for me. It was a very attacking side and we created a lot of chances and scored a lot of goals. It helped me improve my game and allowed me to get some form. Going on loan to Scotland can be a positive thing. It was for me and also you look at how well Michael Hector has done since he returned to Reading. I am friendly with Michael and have spoken to him on a few occasions.

“Now I am looking forward to the season ahead with Brighton. We are looking to kick on this year and hopefully push for a place in the top six. That is what everyone will be trying to do. I believe we have the players to do well in the Championship but is a very tough league to get out of and all the games will be very competitive. There are a lot of teams who will think they can push for a place in the top six. You have a number of the teams spending a lot of money to try and get into the Premiership so it is going to be tough, but hopefully we can do well.

“At the time of doing this interview, we have made three signings and I know the manager is trying to get a few more players in but I believe we have got players at the club who are good enough to contribute and hopefully, with a bit of luck, we can do well this season.

“I am sure ahead of the game that the boys will be asking me about Aberdeen, especially about the journey! The physio staff have been asking me to take it easy when it comes to the games, but hopefully I am fit enough to make the trip and play in the game. It would be great to see all the boys again and all the fans who were very good to me when I was there. It would be a good game to play in and I hope there’s a good crowd here for Jamie because he deserves it.

“People ask me what Scottish football is like and I tell them that it is a good standard. It is not too different to English football. There are a lot of good players at Aberdeen who could play in the Championship or at a higher level. In any league you will get teams who are at a different standard but Aberdeen are a stand-out side. There are some really good players at Pittodrie and I have told the Brighton boys they will see that on Sunday”.