Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has provided an injury update on Yankuba Minteh amid continued interest from Liverpool.
The 22-year-old winger picked up an injury during pre-season and is expected to be sidelined for two to three months. However, his absence has not deterred Liverpool, who have already seen £50million and £60million bids rejected.
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Brighton are holding out for more than £70million for Minteh, while Hurzeler has stressed the winger’s importance to his squad. Hurzeler said he is looking forward to welcoming Minteh back, despite Liverpool’s recent attempts to sign him.
“We know that he has an issue with his ankle,” Hurzeler is quoted as saying by The Argus. “We have to see how the next weeks are going, how this will develop because, of course, he is an important player for us.
“But we saw today we are able to replace him. It is very important that we don’t rely on one player. Of course, these kinds of players are so important.
“One against one, good speed. But, in the end, you need to face adversity. You need to find solutions as a team and that is what my team did today. Hopefully, Yankuba comes back as quick as possible.”
Since joining Brighton from Newcastle United in 2024, Minteh has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 73 appearances. The Gambian scored three goals last season but has already gained valuable Premier League experience.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has admitted that the squad needs at least a couple of new additions, with the Reds looking to strengthen their attack further.
“As a manager, this is an easy one for me,” Iraola said. “I wanted the players for the first day, July 13, everyone here, all the positions doubled, top-level players.
“But you understand how the competition works, that [the] market is open and you start the competition. We have to adapt as coaches to this situation.
“I hate these two weeks or these 10 days that we have because there is a lot of uncertainty — but not in Liverpool, everywhere because once the market is open.
“But we have to adapt. Honestly, I don’t want to spend too much time thinking on these things. I know that you will ask me a lot of questions about the market and this, but I am focused on the game against Newcastle.
“That is massive for me and using the very good players that we have right now in the building in the best way so we can be competitive from the beginning.”
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