Danny Welbeck is likely to miss Brighton’s game against West Ham this weekend with an ankle injury.
The experienced striker has been enjoying something of a renaissance this season under Fabian Hurzeler, scoring six goals in 16 appearances.
Welbeck was fit enough only to feature as a substitute against Leicester City last weekend and was described as being ‘not in the best shape’ by Hurzeler at his pre-match press conference.
Right-back Joel Veltman and midfielder Matt O’Riley are in contention to return at the London Stadium, while centre-back Adam Webster is back in training.
Hurzeler, meanwhile, is adamant he can handle the pressure of Brighton’s ongoing slump.
Albion were beaten 3-1 at home by bitter rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday to stretch the club’s winless run to four games amid growing frustration from supporters.
Hurzeler, who enjoyed a successful spell with German side St Pauli before becoming the Premier League’s youngest permanent manager in the summer, admits the current period of adversity is a “new experience”.
‘I can deal with this situation, I can handle this because I love to have the responsibility and I also know it’s part of it to have this pressure and to be judged by the results,’ the 31-year-old told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham.
‘On top of that, the club has an amazing structure so the people responsible like Tony (Bloom, chairman), like Paul (Barber, chief executive) and David (Weir, technical director), they’re always there, they always give me the feeling like they support me, they believe in the club, in the work we do.
‘It’s not about complaining, it’s about working hard, it’s about trying to find solutions, trying to be there for the team, trying to lead by example by the work ethic.
‘The performances were OK the last games, they were not that bad, and it’s just now to get the momentum back.”
Brighton briefly soared to second in the table following a 1-1 draw with bottom club Southampton at the end of last month.
But, after subsequently blowing a two-goal lead to draw with Leicester between defeats to Fulham and Palace, the Seagulls have plummeted to ninth place.
‘It’s a new experience, for sure,’ said Hurzeler.
‘I had a lot of great success so far in my career but I knew that this phase would come and now it’s here I can learn a lot.
‘I’m in the right club to experience this phase because it’s a club that’s well structured. We have great characters in the team. The team know what to do. The team work hard. They’re not pointing the fingers at each other.’
“They try to see the mistakes on their own and then they try to improve. In the end, the values of the club – this community, this togetherness – will help bring us out of this period.”
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