Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler believes Kaoru Mitoma will be a vital player for him this season.
Hurzeler is preparing his team for his first public match in charge as Albion take on Kashima Antlers on Wednesday at Japan’s National Stadium.
Mitoma, who missed the end of last season with a lower back injury, has been spotted looking sharp in training and the Japan international is set to feature against the Antlers in Tokyo.
“Kaoru Mitoma is a player who can make a difference in a game,” said Hurzeler to the Albion website. “He can decide an equal game by one action, by traveling, by shooting, by one unbelievable action. So he’s a very important player in my thoughts.
“We try to improve him. We try to give him the support he needs, and of course, I want this week to be special for him. All the team are here to play for him and make this week for him a very, very good memory. I think this week will be a special week for him, so I want to give him special support.”
The 31-year-old head coach joined Albion during the summer having guided German club St Pauli to the Bundesliga2 title in his first full season in charge. It’s been a rapid rise for Hurzeler who will be become the youngest ever permanent Premier League manager when he leads Brighton against Everton on August 17 at Goodison.
The trip to Japan has been an ideal chance for Hurzeler to assess the talent at his disposal and also for the players to get used to his methods
”I’m really excited about this trip, especially with these two games against two very strong Japanese teams,” the German added. “It will be very interesting to see how far we are because in the end it’s our pre-season. We see that challenge to win both games.”
