Minteh fit after Everton injury: Brighton v Man United team news
Good luck Manchester United. You are going to need it. Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that the injury which forced Yankubu Minteh off before half time of his Brighton debut against Everton will not keep him out of the Albion’s opening home game of the season.
Minteh took a blow after tangling with Vitalii Mykalenko. He sat on the pitch clutching his shoulder but was eventually substituted as a precaution in case of concussion.
Having already set up Kaoru Mitoma for the first of three Albion goals, Minteh looked pretty peeved to be replaced by Simon Adingra following his injury.
An understandable reaction if he had injured his arm. Brighton though deserve credit for not taking the slightest risk that it could in fact be a head injury.
Too many other Premier League clubs leave players on in such situations with little concern for welfare. One particularly shocking incident last season involved Manchester City not initially taking Ederson off following a heavy blow to the skull.
It was only when Ederson became increasingly dazed and confused that Pep Guardiola acted. If only City cared as much for their goalkeeper as they do trying to protect their reputation and that of Abu Dahbi from the stain of those 115 financial charges.
Anyway, Hurzeler had this to say in his pre-United post conference of Minteh: “There are clear rules we have to go through. It’s also important for the health of the player that we follow the rules of the Premier League, but he will be available.”
Whilst the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history was happy to share his Minteh update, Hurzeler was more vague about other Brighton players currently on the injury list.
Speaking about Tariq Lamptey, Pervis Estupinan and Evan Ferguson, Hurzeler said: “They were all in training and we have to wait today and tomorrow in their rehab and training continues.”
“How they adapt to the intensity and then we will see if they will be an option for the squad. But I am very happy that they have come back.”
Lamptey picked up (another) injury in pre-season whilst Estupinan and Ferguson were ruled out after undergoing operations in April. They have not played since.
With no fresh injury concerns and the impressive manner in which Brighton swept aside Everton, is it a safe bet that Hurzeler will name an unchanged starting XI?
Perhaps not. Simon Adingra added the third goal at Goodison Park and may have done enough to earn himself a spot ahead of Minteh.
The idea of the Gambian winger from Walford coming off the bench and running at a tiring United defence is terrifying and exciting in equal measure.
Then there is Georginio Rutter. The Albion have not paid a club-record £40 million to 1996 Coca Cola Cup Runners Up The Leeds United for Rutter to sit on the bench.
Yet his signing was only confirmed on Monday. Is three days training with his teammates enough for Rutter to be chucked straight into the XI?
Long gone is the era when Brighton would pick up new loan signing Lorenzo Pinamonte from an M4 service station on route to Swansea City, introduce him to his new teammates on the bus and throw him in for a debut.
“For him we have to wait, how he adapts, but he has some games already in the pre-season for Leeds,” said Hurzeler.
“He is a little bit German, a little bit from the UK and he is French so there is a little bit a mix of everything in his character.”
“He is laughing a lot and I think he has integrated fast in the group and that is the most important.”
“And then I’m convinced he will help us on the pitch with his attitude working against the ball, with his quality in possession. He has something special. He will be a big, big player for Brighton.”
