Brighton thriving without Mitoma, so how does he reclaim his place? | OneFootball

Kaoru Mitoma has long been one of Brighton’s first picks, but after hamstring surgery and a flying start without him, winning back his spot may be trickier.

According to The Athletic, Fabian Hurzeler does not expect the Japan winger to be ready for Sunderland on 10 October, urging patience while remaining broadly positive.

He netted Japan’s winner against England in March, then suffered a left hamstring injury in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves in May. Now 29, he missed the World Cup after Japan’s 2-1 last-32 defeat to Brazil. He has 23 goals and 14 assists in 113 Premier League games.

Brighton are guarding against a recurrence for a player whose speed is a key weapon. Rehab is progressing through stages and there is no fixed timetable, to avoid adding pressure.

Hurzeler sees the extended three-week international break as a chance to ease injuries. He is more hopeful on Yankuba Minteh, Jack Hinshelwood and Femi Azeez for Sunderland than on Mitoma, and Evan Ferguson and Stefanos Tzimas will definitely miss out.

Maxim De Cuyper has excelled on the left, with three goals and three assists in eight outings, including two assists inside the first five minutes against Wolves in May.

Olivier Boscagli has covered at left-back and Ferdi Kadioglu has switched to right-back, with Costinha also used since Mats Wieffer’s knee injury. Results without Mitoma increase the challenge of reclaiming an automatic place.

Source: NY Times

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