Brighton & Hove Albion have been given a triple boost by the returns to training of Georginio Rutter, Jan Paul van Hecke and Simon Adingra in preparation for Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United.
Rutter pulled out of France’s under-21 squad due to injury after the forward scored his second goal in as many games in the 3-2 comeback win at home to Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.
Dutch central defender Van Hecke and Ivory Coast winger Adingra missed the Tottenham victory with injuries which ruled them out of for their countries. All three players are back on the grass, although it is unclear if they played a full part in Monday’s training session.
Former Newcastle winger Yankuba Minteh warmed up for the clash against his old club with an assist in a 1-0 win for Gambia against Madagascar to add to an 97th-minute equaliser in the first match of a double-header in qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler is unsure how long he will be without Joao Pedro. The Brazilian forward watched the win over Tottenham with his lower right leg encased in a protective boot.
Joao Pedro has missed the last two matches with an ankle injury sustained in a tackle by Morgan Gibbs-White which led to the dismissal of the Nottingham Forest midfielder for a second yellow card in the 2-2 draw at the Amex Stadium in September.
Hurzeler said: “We have to be careful with Joao not to give any plans to come back in the future. It can be fast, it can be slow, but I’m a positive guy. I think that he’s a great healer and that’s why I’m very positive and I’m looking forward to him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”
Hurzeler’s side head to Newcastle in sixth place in the table, above their hosts on goal difference.
(Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
