Pervis Estupinan might play in Brighton’s next matches against Tottenham and West Ham, according to Roberto De Zerbi.
Muscle issues have kept Albion’s left-back out of action for the majority of the season; in all competitions, the 25-year-old has made only nine appearances.
The Ecuadorian international sustained an injury during the team’s 6-1 defeat to Aston Villa in late September, sidelining him for over a month. In early November, he experienced a recurrence of the same problem while playing away at Ajax in the Europa League, and he hasn’t appeared on the field since.
Though head coach De Zerbi indicated Estupinan could return to the bench ahead of games against Spurs on December 28 and the Hammers on January 2, he was less unsure about Kaoru Mitoma, who left the game against Crystal Palace on Thursday due to injury.
“I think maybe Pervis Estupinan, but not for the first XI,” he said on BBC Radio Sussex Sport. Because Mitoma is injured, we need to examine him and assess his circumstances. I’m not sure how serious the injury is. Indeed, it appears to be his ankle.
Brighton may be relieved that Estupinan might return, but they currently lack several important players. In addition to winger Solly March, who may be lost for the season, Albion is now without injured full-back Tariq Lamptey, injured forwards Ansu Fati and Julio Enciso, and injured defenders Adam Webster and Joel Veltman.
