Country: England
From Ornstein.Brighton and Hove Albion have suffered a significant blow in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League after right wing-back Tariq Lamptey was ruled out for the remainder of this season following surgery over the weekend to repair a hamstring injury, The Athletic can reveal.
The 20-year-old England youth international has been sidelined with the problem since the middle of December and underwent an operation in London on Saturday to fix a tear to the tendon.
It is thought the procedure was successful and should enable Lamptey to resume training before the campaign is over, however he will not be fit in time to feature in Brighton’s final 11 fixtures.
Lamptey has played a key role since joining Graham Potter’s side from Chelsea in early 2020 and recently signed a new long-term contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025.
But he was forced off in the second half of a 0-0 draw at Fulham before Christmas and Brighton head coach Potter last week expressed concern that Lamptey could miss the run-in.
Although Brighton had been coping reasonably well in his absence, they have now lost three consecutive games and are separated from the drop zone by only goal difference.
It is also a setback for England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd ahead of the Euros, which begin with a group stage later this month before the knockout phase is held in May and June.
Im a fan of his as well, but with pace being his main attribute it’s a bit of a worry.
Potter has tried his best to manage his minutes as well, taking him off at 60 mins and rotating heavily at the start of the season despite being their best player.