Brighton & Hove Albion will be without James Milner for several more weeks after a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The 38-year-old utility player has not featured since he was forced off 17 minutes into the 1-1 draw at Arsenal in the Premier League at the end of August.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler, speaking at his press conference on Thursday morning for Saturday’s game at Newcastle United, told The Athletic: “He had a small setback. It’s not that positive as it was before the international break. We have to be patient.
“It’s not a thing that will be solved in one or two weeks. It will take several weeks. We can’t give a clear schedule when he will be back, but before the break we were more positive, I can be honest about that.”
Milner made the 637th Premier League appearance of his career at Arsenal, putting him within 16 games of the 653-match record set by Gareth Barry.
The former England international has made 23 appearances for Brighton since joining on a free transfer following his departure from Liverpool in 2023.
Georginio Rutter, Jan Paul van Hecke and Simon Adingra are available for the Newcastle game after injuries, but Joao Pedro, Adam Webster, Matt O’Riley and Solly March remain sidelined.
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