Fabian Hurzeler says he would not swap Brighton forward Danny Welbeck “for any player in the world due to his leadership skills.Â
The striker has been in terrific form for the Seagulls this season, scoring six goals in the opening ten games. There has even been talk about a potential England recall for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Welbeck is joint-second in the Premier League scoring charts alongside Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago and Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose Crystal Palace side they face at Selhurst Park this Sunday.
Fabian Hurzeler wouldn’t swap Brighton star Danny Welbeck ‘for any player in the world’
Asked in his pre-match press conference if he would trade his frontman for Mateta, Hurzeler responded: “I wouldn’t swap him for any player in the world.
“He is a great leader beside the pitch and a great role model so we are very blessed that he is here.
“He is in outstanding condition, so no I wouldn’t change him.”
The Brighton manager confirmed that he will have to go without James Milner, Brajan Gruda and Jack Hinshelwood for the M23 Derby due to injury. However, Joel Veltman is available for selection after recovering from a calf problem.
Hurzeler added that winger Kaoru Mitoma is “very close” to his return from an ankle injury.
“We will have to monitor how Kaoru is doing in our training sessions and how he is doing over the next two days, then we can have another look,” he added.
Only one point separates the two clubs in the Premier League table, with Palace sitting ninth on 16 points while Brighton are in tenth.
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