Brighton's Matt O'Riley 'requires surgery' after sustaining ankle injury on debut – Fabian Hurzeler

Brighton & Hove Albion's new signing Matt O'Riley will undergo surgery for a torn ligament in his left ankle.

The midfielder, who joined from Celtic for £25 million on Monday, was injured in a tackle by Crawley captain Jay Williams six minutes into his debut in the second round of the Carabao Cup the following evening.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler said at a press conference on Thursday morning: “It is, as we expected, a bad injury. He needs to have an operation on his ankle. I can't say how long he will probably be out. We have to see how the rehab goes. But of course it is a tough thing for us, but we are trying to support him as best we can. We will try to get him on the pitch as quickly as possible and hope that he will be back soon.”

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Brighton's Matt O'Riley injured on debut

“I had a short conversation with him yesterday. He is very disappointed. But he has a good character, is a very positive guy, and he immediately looks to the future and says that he will come back stronger. I like that, his attitude is very important that you stay mentally strong in difficult moments like these, because you can't change it.”

Hurzeler said after the Crawley game that the tackle on Williams was a “clear red card.” Williams escaped a penalty and received a booking later in the game.

Hurzeler declined to comment on whether O'Riley's injury will impact the future of Billy Gilmour, who has been the subject of sustained interest from Napoli this summer.

Brighton visit Arsenal on Saturday. Hurzeler's tenure began with wins over Everton, Manchester United and Crawley, with the club scoring nine goals and conceding one.

(John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)