Dunk, Kadioğlu & Baleba: Brighton injury news and expected return dates before Bournemouth game

A surprise 2-1 win over Manchester City meant that Brighton & Hove Albion headed into the international break with heads held high, and they’ll look to maintain their momentum when they head along the south coast to play Bournemouth in the Premier League this Saturday.

The bad news is that head coach Fabian Hürzeler may have to make do without as many as nine first-team players, with Carlos Baleba, Ferdi Kadioğlu and Jack Hinshelwood added to the long list of doubts after they pulled out of their respective international commitments and several others still on the way back from lay-offs.

With the likes of Lewis Dunk and Solly March nearing returns as well, we’ve collected all of the latest updates on Brighton’s walking wounded below and provided their expected return dates when available.

Lewis Dunk

The club captain has missed the last three Premier League matches after injuring his calf in the warm-up prior to the 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The initial prognosis had him missing around four weeks of football, which means that he should be close to a return. The club have not released an official update on his condition, and he is viewed as a doubt for the game at the Vitality Stadium.

Ferdi Kadioğlu

The summer signing missed the win over Manchester City courtesy of a toe issue, and subsequently withdrew from Turkey’s Nations League squad. Some seemingly over-excited reports in the Turkish media suggested that he could be out for up to two months, but shortly after he returned to Brighton, Hürzeler described it as a “small issue” and implied that he could well be available to face Bournemouth.

Carlos Baleba

Young midfielder Baleba has been troubled by a knee issue of late and has only been able to play 45 minutes across the last two matches – as a result, the Cameroon national team accepted a request from the Seagulls to release him from international duty in order to recover. It is not expected that he faces a lengthy lay-off and should be ready for the weekend.

Jack Hinshelwood

Another player who had to step away from international work over the break, Hinshelwood dropped out of the England Under-21 side after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury in the match against City – he hobbled off in the second half as a result of the knock. The issue is again believed to be minor, and Hinshelwood has every chance of playing this weekend, although the club have no provided a formal update following a scan which took place last week.

Solly March

March has been a key piece of Brighton’s plans for many years but has been out for more than 12 months now thanks to a serious knee injury which required two operations. The 30-year-old is finally closing in on a long-awaited comeback with Hürzeler telling the media earlier in the month that his rehabilitation was on schedule and that he would be back in the squad “soon”, but they understandably refusing to put a date on it. Unlikely to play against Bournemouth.

Adam Webster

Centre-half Webster is another player to have suffered a torrid time with injuries of late – he has played just three top-flight games this year thanks to various fitness issues and is currently battling back from a hamstring injury. Hürzeler had told the media at the end of October that he would be out for up to three weeks, a timeframe which has already passed. A major doubt for Saturday.

Yankuba Minteh

The impressive young Gambian winger is working his way back from a groin problem which he picked up during the October international break and which has forced him out of the last five league games. Early estimates indicated he would be back in action shortly after the break, and as such he is a doubt for the Bournemouth match but should be ready to play before the end of the month.

James Milner

The versatile veteran has been out of action since sustaining a serious hamstring injury against Arsenal back in September. Hürzeler has previously said that the club cannot provide a “clear schedule” for his return, but he has not been training and is effectively ruled out of the Bournemouth fixture.

Tariq Lamptey

The final name on Brighton’s lengthy injury list, flying full-back Lamptey has had rotten luck with injuries and been restricted to just one appearance this season so far. A recent calf injury was aggravated, which makes him a significant doubt for the Bournemouth game, but like many of the Seagulls’ afflicted players he is expected back by the end of the month.