Matt O’Riley: Hürzeler Pledges Transparency Over Brighton Future
Fabian Hürzeler has promised to be transparent with Matt O’Riley over the midfielder’s Brighton future, after illness disrupted the former Celtic man’s pre-season. O’Riley was again missing as the Seagulls used 21 players in a 3-0 win over Roma at the Amex, having also sat out the friendlies with Wycombe and Strasbourg.
O’Riley did not feature in the closing weeks of last season either, following his return from a loan spell at Marseille, and his continued absence has fuelled talk over where his future lies. Hürzeler, though, was keen to frame the situation as a health issue first and a football decision second. Speaking after the Roma game, as The Argus reported, the Albion head coach said the midfielder had lost weight and energy through illness and was being nursed back with tailored work and nutrition.
Matt O’Riley had illness during the last weeks, therefore he lost some weight, some energy, and now we try to give him this by training outside, by good nutrition, and then I think he will start training next week again.
What next for Matt O’Riley at Brighton?
Hürzeler applied the same logic to winger Ibrahim Osman, insisting both players are “great for the locker room” and will “always give everything for this badge”. But the head coach also wants clarity from his squad as Albion build towards the Premier League and the UEFA Conference League. “We need to figure it out, be very transparent, be very honest to each other, and then try to find the right solutions,” he added. Supporters can follow every twist in Brighton’s transfer news as the window plays out.
