Brighton news: Fabian Hurzeler's stance on early Evan Ferguson return after major injury blow

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler has opened the door for Roma loanee Evan Ferguson to make an early return to the Amex Stadium.

Ferguson joined Roma on a season-long loan deal, which includes a €40m (£34.7m) option-to-buy clause, in the summer after failing to gain regular game time with the Seagulls in Hurzeler’s first year in charge, spending the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United.

The Republic of Ireland international has found it difficult to make his mark in Serie A, though, scoring just one goal in 15 league appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, which has led to suggestions that his loan deal could be cut short.

“There's no dislike for the players - it's their performances. Ferguson has had plenty of opportunities,” Gasperini told reporters this week.

"Do we want to wait for him? Of course we want to. He has to do better, not so much from a technical standpoint but also from a human standpoint.”

Could Ferguson make early Brighton return after Tzimas blow?

The 21-year-old responded Roma's frustrations around his lack of progress by scoring two goals in Thursday's 3-0 victory away against Celtic in the Europa League.

However, Brighton may now consider reintegrating Ferguson into Hurzeler’s squad at the start of the New Year after striker Stefanos Tzimas was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

"Stefanos Tzimas will miss the whole of the season. I hope he will be back in pre-season,” Hurzeler told reporters on Friday.

"I can confirm that (an ACL injury). He has already started his rehab. He will have surgery soon. We have big trust in the doctors and in our medical department.

"We are quite convinced that he will be back as quickly as possible and in even better shape."

Ferguson “might be an option” for Brighton, says Hurzeler

Hurzeler was asked about the possibility of Ferguson returning early from his Roma loan at his pre-match press conference before Brighton’s Premier League trip to Liverpool.

The German said: "Evan is a player for us, that is why he will always be an option.

“At the moment he is on loan but we follow it, we are pleased how he performed yesterday. Of course we all follow it, so definitely he might be an option."

Since and including his debut in August 2021, Ferguson has made 80 first-team appearances for Brighton across all competitions and has scored 17 goals, including 13 in the Premier League.

Ferguson particularly impressed in the 2022-23 season when he found the net 10 times in 25 games, helping Brighton finish sixth in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League, as well as reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

His form during that season allegedly caught the eye of several top European clubs, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all credited with an interest before pursuing other targets.