Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler says Solly March’s comeback is on schedule after more than a year out with a serious knee injury.
March had two knee operations to repair meniscus damage and a ruptured cruciate ligament in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City in October 2023.
The 30-year-old winger twisted and landed awkwardly as he was being close down by Bernardo Silva towards the end of the match at the Etihad. His game time since then has been limited to playing the first 26 minutes of a 10-0 win for the under-21s against Crystal Palace several weeks ago.
Hurzeler told The Athletic: “We are treating him very carefully. The comeback after such a long injury is a comeback in waves. You will train, you will have a good feeling, but at one point you will feel your body again.
“Then it’s about listening to your body, getting the feeling back for your body. I think that’s very important. Solly is experienced enough to handle this.
“Our medical department together with Solly are doing a great job. They are trying to bring him back as quickly as possible, but in the end we have to be patient. I see the development in his rehabilitation, so I am very positive and convinced he will be back in our squad soon.”
March ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in December 2015, which kept him out for 11 months. He had surgery again on a torn meniscus in February 2021, which sidelined him until the start of the following season.
March has made over 300 appearances for Brighton since his debut in 2013. He was in the best form of his career under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi, with ten goals and eight assists in 39 Premier League games before the injury against City.
Pep Guardiola’s side visit the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening after three straight defeats in all competitions, the latest a 4-1 loss at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.
Hurzeler said: “They should have been leading after the first half 3-1 or 4-1. They didn’t score the goals but they had big chances. Then I think the momentum was shortly after half-time with Sporting Lisbon and they used it in a very efficient way.
“We should not be blinded by this game because they played a good game, especially in the first half, and they got punished for every mistake they made. Of course, we are now talking about the bad period they have but in the end it is just one game on Saturday and it can change completely.”
GO DEEPER
Brighton’s Hinshelwood can become England regular, says Hurzeler
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