Fabian Hurzeler says Carlos Baleba playing with more freedom after AFCON | OneFootball

Fabian Hurzeler says Carlos Baleba has returned from AFCON refreshed and playing with more freedom, and he is set for his first home start since early December against Everton on Saturday.

According to NY Times, Brighton’s head coach believes the Cameroon midfielder has been rejuvenated by his time away in Morocco.

Since coming back, Baleba came on in the 1-1 home draw with Bournemouth, then started and played 81 minutes in the 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

He had drifted out of form after summer interest from Manchester United, before helping Cameroon reach the quarter-finals in Morocco with five appearances and 347 minutes across group and knockout stages.

Hurzeler said Baleba is enjoying being on the pitch and being a Brighton player, returning with a good mood and attitude. He added that recent displays show he is close to his best again, with the focus now on building him up towards 90 minutes and staying patient.

Hurzeler’s decision to replace him with 40-year-old James Milner at Craven Cottage was booed as Brighton’s league run extended to one win in 10. The coach said Baleba told the bench he was exhausted, so they made the change and preferred fresh legs.

Diego Gomez is a doubt for the Everton match after a slight training injury, while Brajan Gruda is back in contention following a minor issue. Academy product Joe Knight is joining League One promotion contenders Stevenage permanently, the 20-year-old’s only Premier League outing came as a last-minute substitute in the 3-0 home win against Leeds in November.

Source: NY Times