Brighton & Hove Albion’s top goal scorer Danny Welbeck is expected to miss the rest of 2024 with an ankle injury.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler has described the 34-year-old striker as “very doubtful for this year”. The diagnosis means Welbeck is set to sit out Friday’s visit of Brentford and the game at Aston Villa on December 30.
The earliest the former England international is likely to be available is for the home fixture on January 4 against Arsenal, one of his former clubs.
Welbeck sustained the injury when he was trod on by an opponent in the 1-1 draw against Southampton at the Amex Stadium.
That result started a sequence of five matches without a win for Hurzeler’s side in which Welbeck’s only other appearance was as a 70th-minute substitute in a 2-2 draw at Leicester City in December.
Hurzeler, speaking at his pre-match press conference for the Brentford fixture, said: “He played with painkillers at Leicester. We thought he would be ready for that game. He also felt ready. When you take painkillers the pain, of course, is not that bad, but if you don’t feel as though there is a process, an improving feeling inside of your body, then you have to take care of your body.
“Especially Danny. He has suffered during his career with a lot of injuries, so it’s very important that he has a good feeling when he steps on the pitch. He hasn’t had this positive feeling, this feeling of improvement. You have to find the right solution for the club and for the player. You can’t push him through this period with painkillers all the time.
“It’s also our responsibility to take care of the health of the player. That why we made another scan. We tried to listen to other experts on ankle injuries and then we will try to find the right solution for Danny.”
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Welbeck scored six goals in his first 14 appearances of the season before the injury. Joao Pedro, Evan Ferguson and Georginio Rutter have all been used as the No. 9 in his absence, but have not been as effective at knitting the attack together.
Hurzeler said: “I will never try to find excuses and emphasise the situation of our injured players. This is part of the business and I trust all of my players, the whole squad.
“I see it as a chance also for the young players or players that haven’t often played to get into that space and try to fill it with their own profile.
“No matter how bad the situation is, no matter how young the squad is, no matter how many injuries we have, there are always opportunities. You have to see that generally in life. When bad things come you have to be positive. Everything happens for a reason, so we have to find the right conclusion, try to go for the right solution and not complain about it, because it won’t change.
“You will only find the solution by giving the players that play now the confidence they need, the trust and belief they need, then I am sure they will fulfil it in their style very successfully.”
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(Warren Little/Getty Images)
