Brighton & Hove Albion forward Kaoru Mitoma is nearing a return from a hamstring injury, but team-mate Yankuba Minteh is expected to miss several weeks, head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed.
Mitoma was not involved as Brighton ended their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 victory over Bologna. Hurzeler said the Japan international was making progress, although he did not provide a specific return date.
“Mitoma is getting closer and closer to returning.”
Minteh, meanwhile, is dealing with a leg injury and faces a longer spell on the sidelines.
“Unfortunately, Minteh will be out for a longer period. Don’t ask me exactly how long, but it will definitely be several weeks.”
Brighton also remain without Carlos Baleba, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Defender Pascal Struijk is another doubt for the club’s opening competitive fixture after missing the final two pre-season matches against Roma and Bologna.
Struijk joined Brighton from Leeds United this summer in an £18m deal. Hurzeler said the defender had now resumed training and could return to the squad for the match after Thursday’s game.
“He has started training now, so hopefully he will be back in the squad for the next game.”
Brighton begin their competitive campaign in Norway on Thursday, when they face Tromsø in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off. They will then welcome Aston Villa to the American Express Community Stadium on 23 August for their opening Premier League fixture of the season.
The second leg against Tromsø will take place in Brighton on 27 August, meaning Hurzeler must manage his squad carefully as the club moves from pre-season preparation into a demanding run of matches.
The victory over Bologna gave the Brighton head coach a clearer picture of the side he intends to select for the trip to Norway. He said the team had retained the same basic structure as last season despite the arrival of several new players.
“Yes, the longer you are with the team, the clearer the whole picture becomes. But overall, we have the same foundation as last season, just with some new players added, so we are quite clear about the current situation of the team. Today we also played a good game. We controlled the game, could have scored more goals, and also kept a clean sheet.”
Hurzeler acknowledged that some of his players looked tired, particularly during the first half, after a lengthy and demanding period of preparation.
“The players, especially in the first half, seemed a bit tired. I think you can feel that this pre-season preparation has lasted a long time. Our training this week was also very tough. But overall, it was a good pre-season preparation, and today we performed well and concluded the entire pre-season on a good note. Now the real season begins. It’s up to us to prove what results all this pre-season work has achieved.”
Brighton’s immediate priority is now the Europa Conference League play-off against Tromsø, with Mitoma’s recovery progressing but Minteh and Baleba unavailable and Struijk unlikely to feature in the first leg.
