'Everybody needs to think of themselves' - Roberto De Zerbi makes odd Brighton claim amid Liverpool and Man United link

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi says lessons must be learned after their Europa League exit.

The Seagulls performed well in the round of 16 second leg and beat Roma 1-0 at the Amex Stadium, thanks to a sublime first half strike by Danny Welbeck.

But the 4-0 first leg loss in Rome last week proved too much to come back from and their European adventure came to an end with a 4-1 aggregate defeat.

It was a painful one to take for Brighton’s Italian head coach who last week at the Stadio Olimpico said he, the players and owners have made mistakes this season.

De Zerbi’s comments on the owners raised eyebrows as Brighton are often touted as one of the best run clubs in the Premier League. But competing in Europe for the first time and despite topping the group stage – a group that included Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens – it has been a steep learning curve for all.

Each word from De Zerbi at the moment is heavily scrutinised as he continues to be linked with Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and top clubs in Serie A.

His future this summer is far from certain and speaking after Thursday clash against Roma, he said: “Every needs to think about themselves. I need to think about myself and the club needs to think about themselves. I need to look at the mistakes I made and should not repeat.”

Albion finished sixth in the Premier League last season but losing Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister last summer – along with extensive injuries to key players – has proved tricky this term.

“We have had a very difficult season with far too many injuries,” De Zerbi added: “But today we saw how Roma did without [Romelu] Lukaku and [Paulo] Dybala. Imagine Roma without those players and Mancini for a long time.

“We have done better than last season. You journalists look at the league table but we look at other factors. We have done very well and if we find ourselves in this position next season we will try to improve.”