Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has spoken about Matt O’Riley and his chances of returning to the Seagulls’ matchday squad ahead of his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest at the Amex Stadium this weekend.
The Dane was recalled to the south coast from Marseille in January following the Ligue 1 outfit’s shock departure from the league phase of the Champions League.
O’Riley was promptly reintegrated into Hurzeler’s team, coming off the bench late on against both Crystal Palace and Everton. However, he has since been left out of the squads that faced Liverpool in the FA Cup and Brentford last weekend.
When asked about the 25-year-old’s recent omissions and how he can break back into the team, Hurzeler told The Argus: “Matt O’Riley is a role model regarding his work ethic.
“Keep doing what he is doing. He’s training hard. He’s having good standards in training. He’s trying to improve every training session, and therefore sometimes I have to make hard decisions.”
The German continued: “Sometimes a coach doesn’t have a lot of arguments to speak to the players and say, ‘You are out because of that, that, that.’
“He doesn’t give me a lot of reasons to put him out of the squad, but, in the end, I have to make decisions, and he has to keep pushing, and then I’m sure his chance will come.”
O’Riley is set to face even more competition to get into the upcoming squad, with standout performer Yasin Ayari in a race against time to prove he is fit enough to face the Tricky Trees after dislocating his shoulder in January.
Hurzeler gave an update on the Swede’s availability, explaining: “He had some sessions on the pitch without any contact, and now he’s able to get in contact with his opponents, with his team-mates.
“Hopefully everything goes well, and then he might be an option for the weekend.”